PREAKNESS : Injury Knocks Out Jumron; Serena’s Song to Face Fillies

Jumron is out of the Preakness and Serena’s Song is in the Black Eyed Susan next Saturday.

Originally scheduled to skip the second leg of the Triple Crown after suffering a minor foot injury when fourth in the Kentucky Derby, Jumron was then put back in by his connections--owner Charles Dunn and trainer Gary Lewis--but a different physical problem surfaced Saturday and he will soon be on his way back to Lewis’ barn at Santa Anita.

“It’s nothing serious,” Lewis said from Churchill Downs. “It is a minor muscle problem, which he aggravated when he galloped Saturday. He still jogged a little (Sunday), but he is just not 100%. Naturally, we’re very disappointed that we can’t make the race.

“He’ll probably miss about 10 days serious training, but shouldn’t lose a lot of conditioning. He’ll stay here until next week when we can get a flight back to California.”

Serena’s Song coming back so quickly after setting the pace in the Kentucky Derby is a surprise, but trainer Wayne Lukas has said the 3-year-old Rahy filly thrives on activity.

Sixteenth in the Derby after setting fast fractions (45 4/5 for a half-mile and 1:10 1/5 for six furlongs), Serena’s Song will have a different rider in the $200,000 Black Eyed Susan, where she will compete against her own gender.

Gary Stevens, who rode owner Bob and Beverly Lewis’ filly in five of her first seven starts, replaces Corey Nakatani, who had ridden her in seven consecutive races. Stevens won twice with Serena’s Song last summer at Hollywood Park--breaking her maiden, then coming back to take the Landaluce.

Not named on any horses on Wednesday’s card at Hollywood Park, Stevens will spend the week in Maryland and ride for Lukas in three different stakes. Besides Serena’s Song in the Black Eyed Susan and Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch in the Preakness, he will be aboard Lilly Capote in Thursday’s Miss Preakness Stakes.