May 24, 2016 
Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will not compete in the Belmont Stakes, trainer Doug O’Neill told Daily Racing Form Tuesday morning. Blood tests performed on Monday after the colt spiked a temperature revealed an elevated white cell count, evidence of a viral infection.
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
Nyquist missed a couple days of training in early April with elevated WBC after shipping from Florida to Kentucky. While he quickly recovered from that ordeal, his handlers are in no hurry to rush him back out for work on the heels of two gutsy efforts in as many weeks.
Doug O'Neill confirms that champion Nyquist will miss Belmont Stakes. "He has an elevated white count and his temp has come back up" (cont)
— Alicia Hughes (@AHughesMedia) May 24, 2016
(cont) "We always want to do right by him and the right move is to chill and not even think about a race until he is right," O'Neil said.
— Alicia Hughes (@AHughesMedia) May 24, 2016
It’s always disappointing to see horses suffer setbacks, and the rivalry with Exaggerator was just getting real good, but of course it’s all moot without a healthy horse.
Hopefully he’ll bounce back and be ready to do his thing real soon.
