Sourdough Sam out with injury

Sourdough Sam, Northern California's top 3-year-old prospect, has been sidelined with a shin problem and will not be pointed to the Kentucky Derby, trainer Dean Pederson said.

Sourdough Sam rallied to win the one-mile Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 12, looking like a horse who would appreciate more distance. But he came out of the race with "some minor issues," Pederson said, and is being given time off.

"It's disappointing with a young horse given the time of the year," Pederson said. "There will be no surgery needed."

A Decarchy gelding owned and bred by John Nicoletti, Sourdough Sam has won 3 of 4 starts. He won a pair of Golden Gate sprints to begin his career, ran second in the six-furlong Golden Nugget there in November, and took the Gold Rush by a length over Our Minesweeper.