Nyquist, the winner of the 2016 Kentucky Derby, has pulled out of the Belmont Stakes on June 11th.  The horse recently finished in third place at the Preakness Stakes last weekend.

Trainer Doug O’Neill said that Nyquist will be pulled from the third leg of the Triple Crown due to an elevated white blood cell count.  The horse also reportedly had a fever, but is fighting the sickness well according to O’Neill.  The J Paul Reddam owned horse was the favorite in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, but lost in the latter after Exaggerator finished strong to take the victory.

Nyquist is named after former UMaine Black Bear Gustav Nyquist who has been cheering for the horse via Twitter before each big race.  Exaggerator will likely be installed as the favorite for the Belmont in roughly three weeks.  The horse is owned partially by a group based out of Old Orchard Beach.

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