LONDON (AP) — Long-time favorite St. Nicholas Abbey has been pulled out of Saturday’s English Derby with a muscle injury.
The colt, which impressively won three races as a 2-year-old last year, finished sixth in the 2,000 Guineas and jockey Johnny Murtagh was unhappy with his performance in training on Friday.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien revealed the injury Tuesday saying the colt had a stiff muscle in his hind quarters. After examination by the Coolmore stud vets it was decided to pull the colt from the race.
His withdrawal means that the new favorite is Jan Vermeer, which has attracted several big bets in the past few days.
