The trainer of this season's richest trotter has announced a late scratch from Saturday's $500,000 Breeders Crown Final at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Hambletonian winner Royalty For Life, who drew post one in tonight’s $500,000 Breeders Crown for three-year-old male trotters at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and was the 5-2 morning line favourite, will scratch from the race, according to trainer George Ducharme.

“It’s disappointing,” said Ducharme. “This is not how I wanted to cap the year. He is just not himself and I have to put the interests of the horse first. Nothing specific but he’s been so good to us I don’t want to take the chance of hurting him. I will get him vetted out this week and see if anything is really wrong.

“He wasn’t really himself in the second heat of the Futurity and then after the Breeders Crown elim he just didn’t seem like himself.“

Royalty For Life won a heat of the Kentucky Futurity but was fifth in the final heat. In last week’s Breeders Crown elim he finished fourth.

Royalty For Life has the most earnings this year of any trotter with $1.2 million. All entrants in the race will move down one slot on the starting gate. The number two, horse All Laid Out, will now start from the rail on through post eight.

(Breeders Crown)