The $200,000 Kelso Handicap (gr. II) field at Belmont Park on Oct. 1 was reduced to only four with the scratch of Sangaree Sept. 30.
Sangaree, 6-1 on the morning-line, was scratched after developing a cough, assistant trainer Rick Mettee said.
“He started coughing yesterday, and he continued this morning,” said Mettee of the 6-year-old son of Awesome Again . “It’s too bad, because we were looking forward to running him.”
Mettee said Godolphin Racing’s Sangaree would most likely now be pointed to the seven furlong Bold Ruler (gr. III) at Belmont on Oct. 29.
Sangaree was expected to be a pace factor in the one-mile Kelso. His scratch means that champion Uncle Mo will almost certainly be on the lead when he faces older horses for the first time. The rest of the field includes Golddigger's Boy, Jackson Bend, and Jersey Town .
There will be no show or trifecta wagering in the Kelso.