Quality Road out of Belmont, Looking North to Saratoga

Friday, Spring Hill farm manager Chris Baker told TodaysACCHeadlines.com that Quality Road will not be ready to race in the Belmont, due to the continued healing of his quarter crack in his right front foot. The focus will now be on the Jim Dandy Stakes and the Travers Stakes during Saratoga's meet in August.

The move makes perfect sense; going from the nine furlong Florida Derby in late March to the 12 furlong Belmont Stakes in mid-June would surely be a difficult task.  Certainly, trainer Jimmy Jerkens is a good enough horsemen to pull it off, but things would have had to have gone perfectly with the three-year-old Elusive Quality colt's training.

According to the Daily Racing Form:

"Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Friday that Quality Road was sore in his right front foot after training for three days, and has simply walked the shed since Wednesday. Jerkens said that an abscess, or pus pocket, popped out of the bulb of the colt's right front heel on Friday 'to the inside of where the quarter crack is.'

Jerkens said that prior to the abscess popping, Quality Road had his shoes pulled to try and alleviate any soreness in his foot. Jerkens said the horse is getting treated with antibiotics.

Jerkens said Quality Road would not return to the track until next week and not until he gets new shoes and possibly a new patch on the quarter crack."