2009 Kentucky Derby 2009: Quality Road Out: With just days away from the much anticipated 135th, Kentucky Derby 2009, Quality Road, one of the Sports Odds favorites the win Saturday’s Run for the Roses, has officially been declared out, according to trainer Jimmy Jerkens.
Quality Road [11:2] had been given the second best Sports Odds to win the Kentucky Derby second only to the heavy favorite, I Want Revenge [11:4], this according to Kentucky Derby expert oddsmakers at Bodog.com. 
The decision was announced after Quality Road missed a final workout Monday morning at Belmont Park. “We couldn’t train him so we decided we couldn’t run him,” Jerkens said. “He just isn’t sound enough.”
The thoroughbred developed a quarter crack on his right front foot last week, and missed significant training time because of it. Quality Road took a few laps around the Belmont track on Monday, at which time Jerkens found a spot of blood on the newly patched crack.
Quality Road’s foot was sore on Monday, as Jerkens noticed the 3-year-old colt was favoring it. “You’re just kidding yourself if you think you can go out there and run in the biggest race in the world and haven’t trained,” Jerkens said. “It’s a shame because he’s so talented.”
Winner of three of four starts, Quality Road captured the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby, beating out top Kentucky Derby 2009 contender in Dunkirk [11:2]. “It’s devastating,” Jerkens said. “He’s really sensitive on the quarter. I don’t know if you’d ever get a horse into the Derby (again) with his credentials. We’ll re-patch it but we can’t do it until all the soreness is out of it.”
Hoof specialist, Ian McKinlay, worked on Quality Road’s foot on Sunday, at which time it was revealed that although the injury wasn’t career threatening, it needed to be repaired. “If this thing calms right down, he’ll be back on track,” McKinlay said. “Something is aggravating the heel as hard as he hits the ground.”
