Undefeated Carter H. (G1) hero BUSTIN STONES (City Zip), the 2-1 favorite for
Saturday’s Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G2) at Saratoga, will not run because of
what appears to be a stone bruise in his foot, trainer Bruce Levine reported.
“We schooled him in the paddock yesterday morning around 11:30 and he came
back with a little heat in his foot,” Levine said of the New York-bred, who is
six-for-six. “He’s had that before — it comes and goes — so it didn’t really
bother me then.
“This morning, however, his foot was on fire with a pretty good pulse. He’s
got some sensitivity. He’s not lame or anything, but we couldn’t run him.”
The six-furlong Vanderbilt was to have been Bustin Stones’ first start since
his victory in the Carter at Aqueduct on April 5, after which he developed a
fever and missed several weeks of training. It also would have been the first
Saratoga stakes start for owner Roddy Valente of nearby Loudonville, New York.
Levine said at this point, there was no timetable for the return of the
four-year-old, although he mentioned the August 30 Forego H. (G1) at seven
furlongs at Saratoga as a potential next start.
“It’s hard to say,” he said. “Sometimes, they’re fine in a couple of days;
other times, they’re a little deeper than the norm and it can take up to 30
days. We’ll just have to wait and see.
“It’s probably a couple days, maybe a week of no training. He’s dead fit, so
it’s not going to really back me up much.”