Alpha wasn’t a contender at the Kentucky Derby, finishing in 12th, and won’t even compete at the Belmont Stakes, because his owners will pull him from the race due to a fever.
2012 Belmont Stakes: Alpha Withdraws From Race With Fever
The horse had a fever of 103 degrees on May 29, which is ... wait, do horses have the same temperatures as people? Hold on just a second here (googles “horse average temperature”) ... two-to-four degrees higher than normal for a horse. Although the colt recovered, his trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, doesn’t feel comfortable with him running next Saturday.
“He was fine by 11 p.m. that evening after treatment, fine yesterday, and he’s fine today, but it’s too high a temperature too close to the race,” McLaughlin said. “It’s unfortunate.”
The Godolphin Racing horse had been successful previously at Belmont, coming in second in the Resorts World New York City Wood Memorial Stakes, and had won two previous races in the Count Fleet and the Withers before his also-ran performance at the Derby. He probably wasn’t going to interfere with I’ll Have Another’s quest for a Triple Crown, but it’s horse racing, and you never know. Unfortunate for the horse’s owners and trainers.
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