Bustin Stones scratched from Vanderbilt

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."