Ide, Cobra King Out of Kentucky Derby

Ide and Cobra King, two of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby, have been declared out of the race, making Unbridled’s Song an even bigger favorite for the 122nd running at Churchill Downs on May 4.

Ide, winner of his last seven races after losing his first two, took a misstep during a gallop at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., Tuesday. The colt has a serious tear in a suspensory ligament in his right foreleg and will be sidelined for at least five months.

Cobra King’s trainer, Mike Puype, told the Daily Racing Form that his colt had injured a tendon in his left foreleg. Cobra King, who had won five of seven starts before finishing a dull eighth in the Florida Derby last month, will be sent to owner Gary Biszantz’s farm near Lexington, Ky., and the injury will be reevaluated in a few months.

Unbridled’s Song, champion 2-year-old male last year, had already become the future-book favorite for the Kentucky Derby after winning the Florida Derby.

Ide has won twice this season at Oaklawn and would have been heavily favored to sweep the track’s three-race series for 3-year-olds had he been able to run in the Arkansas Derby on April 13.

Cobra King’s career began last year in California, where he won four of six races. Sent to Florida this winter to prepare for the Derby, he won the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park, but then his reputation suffered after he fizzled in the Florida Derby. Cobra King was in training at Churchill Downs when his injury was diagnosed.