Dehere Has Colic, Won’t Run in Hutcheson Stakes

Dehere, 1993’s 2-year-old champion, was scratched from today’s Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park because of colic.

The withdrawal Saturday postponed both Dehere’s debut as a 3-year-old and a much-anticipated rematch with unbeaten Holy Bull, another Kentucky Derby prospect who beat Dehere in their only meeting last year in the Belmont Futurity.

“I regret causing so much disappointment for so many people,” owner Bob Brennan said.

Dehere is expected to recover in time to run in the $200,000 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 19. He also is expected to run in the $500,000 Florida Derby on March 12.

The Hutcheson had shaped up as an attractive early-season showdown of 3-year-olds.

“The best horse race in South Florida in years,” trainer Nick Zito said. His entry, Crary, and four others remain in the field for the $75,000, seven-furlong race.

Unbeaten You And I probably will provide Holy Bull’s main competition, along with Patton, an 11-length winner at Gulfstream on Jan. 8. Patton recently worked five furlongs in 57 seconds.

Dehere had been the 7-5 morning-line favorite. Now, Holy Bull will be the 6-5 morning-line choice.

“He’s the one we had to go after anyway,” Sonny Hine, trainer of Patton, said of Holy Bull. “He has a lot of speed. . . . Dehere being out isn’t going to change our strategy.”

Holy Bull, to be ridden by Mike Smith, was third in the balloting for 2-year-old of the year, behind Dehere and Southland-based Brocco.