Zayat Stables tweeted Friday afternoon that El Kabeir has been scratched from Saturday's 141st Kentucky Derby after coming up lame in the morning.
"Unfortunately El Kabeir has been scratched from the Derby. He was still not 100% this afternoon. Horse always comes first," the tweet read.
El Kabeir, third in the Wood Memorial, exhibited some tenderness Friday morning that caused him to miss a scheduled gallop.
"He just has a tender spot in the inside quarter of his left front foot," trainer John Terranova said Friday morning.
El Kabeir was 30-1 on the morning line for Saturday's Run for the Roses and drew post 7 in the 20-horse field. Three-time Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel had been slated to ride the gray colt.
The scratch of El Kabeir comes a day after Stanford was withdrawn from the Derby, which leaves 19 3-year-olds to start the opening leg of the Triple Crown.
[SportsNetwork.com]
