Whitmore will be forced to miss his scheduled start in Saturday's Grade 1 Vanderbilt on Saturday at Saratoga after incurring a minor foot issue which his trainer, Ron Moquette, said likely happened on his flight from Kentucky on Tuesday.

"He has a pulse in his foot, it's definitely a shoe issue, he probably pounded it on the airplane coming here," said Moquette. "We pulled his shoe off and he's already 90 per cent better, he feels a lot more comfortable, but luckily I train for people that will let me put the horse first so we will not run on Saturday. I'll soak the foot good for a few days, and he should be fine."

Whitmore had won five straight races including a pair of Grade 3 events earlier this season before having his streak snapped when finishing a troubled thired as the even month favorite in the Grade 2 True North last month at Belmont Park.

"Our goal is the Breederse' Cup Sprint, so we'll just get this thing out of there, keep him here to train, and see if anything comes up," said Moquette. "Distance isn't really a problem for him, he's graded stakes placed up to a mile and one eighth, but the Breeders' Cup is at six furlongs and that's where I"d like to keep him, which means our options are limited. The main thing is getting that foot healed. We deal with horses, so there's always going to be good news and bad news,  and for us, this is the best bad news we could have."