Nasty Storm to Skip Saturday's Distaff

Defending winner Nasty Storm will not make a bid for a repeat victory in Saturday's $250,000-added Churchill Downs Distaff (gr. II).

The 4-year-old filly was purchased for $1.075 million by Frank Stronach in Tuesday's session of the Keeneland November Sale and sent back to trainer Dallas Stewart's barn at Churchill Downs.

"She missed about five days of training while she was at the sale and she coughed a couple of times when she got back," said Stewart, "so we're not going to run her."

Stewart said the Falls City Handicap (gr. II) on Nov. 28 remains possible for the Gulch filly. "That's a mile and an eighth, so we'll have to see," he said. "She's never run that far before."