Following on the heels (or hooves) of a seventh-place finish in the Illinois Derby, and with disappointing workouts this week at Keeneland, Merv Griffin has pulled his horse Cobalt Blue from contention for this year's Kentucky Derby.
This is the second year in a row that the 81-year-old Griffin has suffered a Derby disappointment. In 2006 Griffin's Derby hopeful, Stevie Wonderboy, had to be withdrawn after suffering a fracture in his right front leg.
This does not mark the end of the Derby road for trainer Doug O'Neil, however. Great Hunter (now 17/1) and Liquidity (30/1) are both contenders for Saturday's race.
With a racing record of 3-4-1, Great Hunter seems to have a knack for running second; his first stakes win came in the Grade 1 Lane's End Breeders' Futurity, right before his distant third place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Liquidity is even more of a Kentucky Derby longshot. While he placed third in the Real Quiet Stakes at Hollywood Park, and second in the Hollywood Futurity, he has yet to win a stakes race. His prospects for a Derby victory, frankly, look slim.
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cobalt blue, 
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