Belmont Stakes: Ethereal Road will miss race due to quarter crack
ELMONT, N.Y. – Ethereal Road, winner of the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard May 21, will not compete in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday after developing a quarter crack in his right front hoof, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Monday.
Ethereal Road has been training at Churchill Downs since traveling to Pimlico.
"He'll probably be good tomorrow or the next day," Lukas said when reached by phone. "It's just bad timing. It probably needs another 48 hours. It's very fixable. But we enter tomorrow, and I couldn't put him on a van. He's a little tender on it. I don't want to go unless he's perfect"
Lukas said the crack was laced together with wire, and then an acrylic patch was placed over it.
He said assuming Ethereal Road progresses satisfactorily, his next intended target would be the Ohio Derby on June 25.