One of the top horses to watch in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby is a race-day scratch.
The Puma will be out of the popular horse race after trainer Gustavo Delgado confirmed swelling was discovered in the horse’s leg due to a skin infection.
“It’s just really bad timing,” Delgado told Churchill Downs’ Kevin Kerstein.
An alternate will not take The Puma’s place in the starting gate as the deadline for eligible entries has passed.
Barring no other last-minute scratches, there will be 19 horses in the field for the derby, which is set for a 6:57 p.m. start time.
Kentucky Derby entrant The Puma works out at Churchill Downs Friday, May 1, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. AP
The Puma is the fifth horse to be scratched from the Derby since the week’s draw, joining Right to Party, Silent Tactic, Fulleffort and Corona de Oro. It marks the sixth time in the last eight years that the Kentucky Derby has less than 20 horses participating in the race.
The 3-year-old colt already made headlines this week as rumors spread that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce held a 10 percent stake in the racehorse for the Kentucky Derby.
However, sources confirmed to Page Six that the to-be-wed couple does not have any ownership interest.
The rumor mill began online earlier this week and was only pushed along by Michael Iavarone, a co-owner of the horse.
The Puma works out on the track during morning workouts ahead of the running of the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 01, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty Images“OK people. Everyone asking me if Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are partners on The Puma… all I can say is I signed an NDA, so I can’t confirm or deny,” he wrote, per Fox News.
Still, Swifites had already influenced the race odds.
Earlier this week, the horse ranked fifth on the board, and his chances sat at 10-1. However, after the celebrity ownership buzz, The Puma made a big jump to a +350 favorite on Wednesday and stood at a +800 on Friday evening.
The Post’s Vic Cangialosi initially predicted a midpack finish for The Puma, noting his typical slow starts out of the gate.
