Continuing to run out of time while his horse has been dealing with a bruised right front foot, trainer John Ward Jr. said today there is no chance Sky Mesa can make the Kentucky Derby. He is hoping now to have him ready for the Belmont Stakes.

Ward made the decision after Sky Mesa spent three days at the Rood and Riddle veterinary clinic in Kentucky. Concerned that the horse was not getting over the foot problem in a speedy fashion, Ward had him sent to the clinic as a precautionary measure. He was given a clean bill of health there, but is still well behind schedule.

"We've just eliminated ourselves from the Kentucky Derby," he said. "The next attainable goal is the Belmont, but I will still need two preps to get him ready for any of the classics."

Ward said he was worried that there might be more wrong with Sky Mesa than just the bruised foot.

"We wanted to make everyone feel comfortable and re-diagnose it," he said. "When these problems go on for longer than you think they should, you worry that you might be missing something, something larger that may, if you don't deal with it, keep you out the rest of the year. It was in our best interests to find out 100 percent if there was anything else wrong. That's not the case. It is a bruise."

Ward has no set plans for Sky Mesa's training schedule, but believes the horse will return to light training shortly.

"It will be a day to day situation," he said. "My feeling is that he'll be back in light training in the short term. But we want to make sure we don't reaggravate anything."

Sky Mesa, 3-for-3 in his brief career, has not run since winning the Oct. 5 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.