Nehro a 'no go' for Preakness

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Kentucky Derby runner-up Nehro has been withdrawn from Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

Owner Ahmed Zayat notified race officials Tuesday morning.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Nehro will now be pointed toward the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 11.

The colt's handlers are concerned with the number of races he has started over the last several weeks. He ran second in the Louisiana Derby on March 26 and came back on April 16 to again finish second in the Arkansas Derby.

"It was a very difficult decision because we have a very happy and healthy horse at the moment," said Brad Weisbord, the finance and racing manager for Zayat Stables. "Any time you're going to skip a classic, usually there is a better excuse than that. The main decision came down to Mr. Zayat feeling it was a little much to ask the horse to run four great races in an eight-week time frame. We are looking to keep Nehro around throughout the entire year, with our next goal being the Belmont Stakes. We also have other goals down the line, being that he loves Churchill Downs and potentially running in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

"It was a very tough decision to make. Mr. Zayat loves coming to Baltimore and really thinks a lot of the Preakness race, but what it came down to is we decided to err on the side of caution to give the horse a little more time between his Derby and his next race."

With one start as a two-year-old, Nehro has won just once in six career starts for $825,140.