Dr. Ken Reed, the attending veterinarian for Derby pre-race second choice Buddha, did a preliminary examination of the colt on Friday before lunchtime after Buddha was withdrawn from the Derby Friday morning because of lameness in his left foreleg. At a little before 1 pm, Reed reported that the cause of the discomfort is not in Buddha’s foot, ankle, or knee, which is good news.

Reed used diagnostic blocks (injected anesthesia) to start his diagnostic search for the cause of Buddha’s lameness that surfaced when the colt was taken out of his stall at 5 a.m. this morning