Zandon is scratched from his expected return at Aqueduct

The return of Zandon will not happen Saturday afternoon after all.

First in the 2022 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) before finishing a close third in the Kentucky Derby, the 4-year-old millionaire was one of the 31 horses scratched at Aqueduct, where a light rain had been falling throughout the day to leave the main track sloppy and force four races to be moved off the turf.

“Weather,” owner Jeff Drown texted after he was asked about the scratch. He also said Zandon would target Friday’s Westchester (G3) at Belmont Park.

The Upstart colt trained by Chad Brown was the 4-5 morning-line favorite in what had been a field of nine older horses entered in an $84,000 allowance optional-claiming race. The one-turn, dirt mile for non-winners of two races above the lowest class also lost second choice High Connection (9-2) and two long shots.

Zandon has not competed since he finished fourth as the odds-on favorite Dec. 3 in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). He still qualifies for condition races like Saturday’s, because his only wins came in his October 2021 debut at Belmont Park and in last year’s Blue Grass. Zandon’s 2022 also included a third in the Travers (G1) and a second in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1).

The Westchester is considered a prep for the Met Mile (G1) on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 10.