Bellamy Road’s star fizzles out

NEW YORK – In just a few days, Bellamy Road has gone from favorite to flameout.

After a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, the horse owned by New York Yankees boss George Steinbrenner is now off the Triple Crown trail, sidelined Tuesday with a minor foot injury that may keep him away from racing for three months.

Bellamy Road came into Saturday’s Derby off a dazzling 17 1/2 -length victory in the Wood Memorial, and was being touted as racing’s next superstar. But the strapping colt struggled as the 5-2 favorite behind long-shot winner Giacomo.

Bellamy Road was a possibility for the Preakness on May 21 before the injury, discovered by trainer Nick Zito at Churchill Downs.

The 3-year-old son of Concerto also will miss the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, on June 11.

Zito said Bellamy Road could be back for the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 27.

“There’s no doubt you will see the real Bellamy Road again,” Zito told the Web sites of The Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse.

The injury, a “popped splint” in racing parlance, is not considered career-threatening.

“The bad news is he popped a splint,” Zito said. “The good news is the X-rays are clean otherwise – there’s no fractures – so he’ll be back for the big races this summer.”