Portugal Colonial - The Puma out of Kentucky Derby, leaving 19 starters

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The Puma out of Kentucky Derby, leaving 19 starters / Photo: ANDY LYONS - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

The Puma out of Kentucky Derby, leaving 19 starters

SPORTS 02.05.2026

The Puma was scratched from the 152nd Kentucky Derby due to leg swelling from a skin infection, leaving only 19 horses in Saturday's field at Churchill Downs.

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Because the horse was pulled on the morning of the race, no substitute replaced him in the lineup, meaning the maximum 20 horses would not compete over the 1.25-mile distance in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Puma, trained by Gustavo Delgado, had been among the favorites at 8-1 and was set to depart from the ninth gate.

"We discovered some swelling in his leg due to a skin infection," Delgado's GDS Racing said in a statement. "It's incredibly disappointing but the swelling should go down within a day or two. It's just really bad timing."

The Derby is the first leg in US flat racing's Triple Crown, which continues with the Preakness in two weeks and the Belmont Stakes in June.

S.Pimentel--PC

Portugal Colonial - The Puma out of Kentucky Derby, leaving 19 starters

The Puma out of Kentucky Derby, leaving 19 starters

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