Godolphin's Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the G2 UAE Derby in March, will be forced to miss Saturday's GI Belmont S. due to an infection in a hind leg, according to a tweet from Godolphin Tuesday morning.
“We hope this is only a minor setback and we look forward to seeing him back on the racecourse in the near future,” the tweet read.
With his UAE Derby victory, Rebel's Romance had qualified into the field for the May 1 GI Kentucky Derby, but connections decided to bypass that race and aim for the Belmont. The Godolphin homebred, trained by Charles Appleby, most recently worked six furlongs in 1:14.29 (1/2) at Belmont Park May 26.
Godolphin is expected to be represented in the Belmont by last year's champion 2-year-old Essential Quality (Tapit).
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