Sham Stakes winner Out of Bounds will miss the 2012 Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont after a workout today. He has an ankle fracture that will require surgery.

Trainer Eoin Harty said the injury was a non-displaced condylar fracture in his left front ankle. A couple of screws will be inserted to repair the break, and the injury is not considered to be career threatening, he said.

“It’s very disappointing; just unbelievable,” Harty said on Monday afternoon. “It’s really, really hard to put a positive spin on something like this.”

“He should come back at 100% with no problems if everything goes the way it is supposed to, but he won’t be on the Triple Crown trail and that’s devastating because we thought we thought we had a legitimate contender—a horse that displayed all of the qualities of a classic-winning horse. It’s a bitter, bitter pill to swallow.”

The Darley homebred was scheduled to start in the San Felipe Stakes on Saturday, March 10 at Santa Anita Park. He worked five furlongs in :59.20 at Hollywood Park today, the fastest of 23 at the distance. Eoin Harty said the injury occurred sometime after the work.

“He worked really, really well; probably the best piece of work I’ve seen him do all year,” he said. “His rider came back raving about how easy it was. He was cooling out and on the wash rack when I got a call from the foreman that he wasn’t moving very well. It went downhill from there.”

Out of Bounds was unplaced in his career debut in October in a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Santa Anita but bounced back with back-to-back victories in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race on December 10 at Hollywood and a half-length victory over speedy Secret Circle in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.

Harty said he hoped Out of Bounds could return for some of the sport’s most prestigious races in the fall.

“Best case scenario, he’ll be back in about six months,” Harty said. “We’re happy about that, but the timing just could not be worse for something like this to happen.”

Ironically, Jockey Garrett Gomez was looking forward to his return to horse racing by riding Out of Bounds in the San Felipe Stakes on March 10 at Santa Anita Park. The thought was that Out of Bounds would be Garrett’s 2012 Kentucky Derby horse. Gomez has been recovering from an injury to his left heel that required surgery. The injury happened on January 8th when he was thrown by a horse leaving the walking ring prior to the Daytona Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

The San Felipe is expected to attract Empire Way, Fed Biz, Liaison, Bodemeister, Midnight Transfer, Rousing Sermon, and Blingo, with a few other possibilities. Mike Harrington, who trains Empire Way, said Creative Cause is 50-50.