Buddy's Saint, winner of the Remsen (gr. II) and Nashua (gr. II) stakes, is off the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) trail after suffering a chip in his right front ankle following a workout at Gulfstream Park March 14, trainer Bruce Levine told The Blood-Horse.

“He really didn’t work that well this morning, and when he came back he started walking a little bit off and it got progressively worse,” trainer Bruce Levine said. “We X-rayed him and found the chip in his ankle.

“I’ve never had a horse of that nature, like a top 3-year-old, but believe me he was a top horse. He was doing things despite being so immature that you just knew he was going to keep getting better. It’s unbelievable.

"The prognosis is good. He just needs some time. We’ll probably do surgery soon and give him 60 to 90 days off, and then start him back and see what we can get out of the fall and go from there. It’s been fun. Everybody wants to run in the Derby, but they don’t all make it.”

Buddy’s Saint, owned by Kingfield Stables, was made the 9-5 favorite in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) in his 3-year-old debut but had a disastrous trip, having to take up and getting bumped into the rail going into the clubhouse turn. He never was to recover, finishing far back in ninth. Levine was pointing him for the Wood Memorial (gr. I) April 3 with the hope he could rebound and make it to the Derby.

The son of Saint Liam out of the Blushing John mare Tuzia was purchased at the Keeneland September yearling sale for $100,000 in 2008.