Kentucky Derby winner Mage vs. Forte in Preakness Stakes at Pimlico?

Twenty-four hours after his Kentucky Derby favorite Forte had been scratched from the race on a controversial decision, trainer Todd Pletcher was true to his even-keeled nature.

Disappointed? Yes. Belligerent? No.

"If you’re in the horse business, you’re going to have disappointments every single day, especially with the volume of horses that we deal with," Pletcher said. "There's different levels of disappointment, and when you have the Derby favorite scratched, that's about the highest level of disappointment you can have."

Nick Smith, the chief examining veterinarian for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, scratched Forte from the Kentucky Derby on Saturday morning because of a bruise in his right front foot.

Pletcher said he understood Smith's decision, especially given the increased scrutiny after a number of horses had died at Churchill Downs since April 27. That number increased to seven when two horses were euthanized following races on Saturday's Derby undercard.

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But when asked whether the bruise should have kept Forte out of the Kentucky Derby, Pletcher didn't hesitate.

"I think that he would have performed well yesterday," Pletcher said. "Unfortunately, that wasn't an option."

Adding insult to injury, Pletcher had to watch a horse that Forte had defeated twice win the Kentucky Derby. Mage finished fourth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 4 and second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 1, with Forte winning both.

"It didn't matter who won, we were going to be disappointed we didn't get to start Forte," Pletcher said. "The fact that Mage won makes you think more of a ‘What if?’ I guess on the bright side, everybody that was critical of the Florida Derby can put that to bed."

Pletcher said Forte will stay at Churchill Downs and likely breeze Friday or Saturday. If all goes well, Pletcher plans to send Forte to the Preakness on May 20 at Pimlico.

Pletcher had two other horses in the Kentucky Derby, with Tapit Trice finishing seventh and Kingsbarns 14th. Pletcher said Tapit Trice is likely to try the Belmont on June 10, with Kingsbarns also a possibility.

While connections hadn't committed to running Mage in the Preakness as of Sunday morning, co-owner Ramiro Restrepo said he was looking forward to a possible rematch with Forte.

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"It's becoming an Apollo Creed-Rocky story line," Restrepo said. "Tons of respect for those guys. Mike Repole, Vinnie Viola and Todd Pletcher are top-class. … Hopefully Forte comes back full force and we’ll see each other at some point."

Here's a look at other horses who could join Forte and Mage in the Preakness:

Arabian Lion – Trainer Bob Baffert said Arabian Lion could be considered for the Preakness after finishing second in the Grade 3 Lexington on April 15 at Keeneland.

Blazing Sevens – Trainer Chad Brown chose to skip the Kentucky Derby after Blazing Sevens finished third in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland.

Chase the Chaos – Trained by Ed Moger Jr., Chase the Chaos most recently finished eighth in the California Derby on April 29 at Golden Gate.

Confidence Game – After finishing 10th in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Keith Desormeaux said Confidence Game is in consideration for the Preakness.

Disarm – The Steve Asmussen trainee could be considered for the Preakness after a fourth-place showing in the Kentucky Derby.

First Mission – Trainer Brad Cox was unsure whether any of his four Kentucky Derby horses – led by third-place Angel of Empire – would enter the Preakness. But he does plan to send First Mission, who won the Grade 3 Lexington on April 15 at Keeneland.

Henry Q – Finished third in the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby on March 26 for trainer Todd Fincher.

Il Miracolo – Trained by Antonio Sano, Il Miracolo most recently was sixth in the Florida Derby.

Instant Coffee – The Cox trainee finished sixth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 25 at Fair Grounds.

National Treasure – The Baffert trainee finished fourth in the Santa Anita Derby on April 8.

Perform – Trained by Shug McGaughey, Perform earned a Preakness invite after winning the Tesio on April 15 at Laurel Park.

Practical Move – Trainer Tim Yakteen said he wouldn't rule out the Preakness after Practical Move was scratched from the Kentucky Derby because of a fever.

Red Route One – The Asmussen trainee was sixth in the Arkansas Derby and then won the Bath House Row Stakes on April 22 at Oaklawn Park.

Two Phil's – Trainer Larry Rivelli hasn't made a decision on the Preakness after Two Phil's finished second in the Kentucky Derby.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; [email protected]; Twitter: @KentuckyDerbyCJ.