Nyquist will not run in the June 11 Belmont Stakes, DRF.com reported Tuesday.
BREAKING NEWS: Nyquist out of Belmont Stakes. Has high elevated white blood cell count. Story soon on https://t.co/vF7GYJCXge
— David Grening (@DRFGrening) May 24, 2016
The Kentucky Derby champion came out of the Preakness with a 102-degree fever.
Still, trainer Doug O'Neill and the 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo's connections had hoped he would rebound in time for the third leg of the Triple Crown.
Those hopes were dashed when a blood test showed Nyquist has an elevated white blood cell count.
The decision not to run Nyquist, who won his first nine starts before finishing third in the Preakness, isn't surprising as horses tend to take more than the three weeks to recover from illness due to time lost in training.
Meanwhile, Exaggerator will head to the Belmont looking to capture the second and third legs of the Triple Crown. He finished second in the Kentucky Derby.
