Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) winner Five G saw her path to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) come up a day short May 1 when she was scratched from Friday's 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.
Trainer George Weaver scratched Five G from the Oaks because she went off form over the past couple of days.
"The filly kind of backed off her feed and didn't train with the same energy. We just don't feel that she's at her best," Weaver said. "We think she's going to be fine. We'll pull some bloodwork on her and make sure she's OK. But she just didn't have a good couple of days and we'll look for a race down the road."
Weaver said he'll likely wonder what could have been as the Oaks only comes around once a year, but he said taking care of the horse is the first priority.
Gatsas Stable homebred Five G, a daughter of Vekoma , was scheduled to start from post 8 among the 14 fillies entered. Besides her front-running score in the Gulfstream Park Oaks, she opened the year by winning the Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Five G was 12-1 on the morning line. The scratch will leave the Oaks field at 13 expected starters with all fillies outside of post 8 moving in one post.
The early pace of the race figures to be impacted as Five G had led at the early calls of her races in all three of her starts this season. Some of the other fillies expected to be forwardly placed include Simply Joking, La Cara, Anna's Promise, and Quietside. The latter tracked Five G in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park before posting a one-length victory.