NEW YORK — Trainer Jimmy Jerkens is optimistic Florida Derby winner Quality Road can make next Saturday's Kentucky Derby despite a quarter crack in his right front hoof that has slowed his training in the last two weeks.

The 3-year-old colt jogged 1¾ miles on the training track at Belmont on Saturday morning after the hoof was patched by specialist Ian McKinlay on Friday.

"The way things are going, (I'm) pretty confident," Jerkens said. "I'm usually negative about everything by nature but ... the fact that he's had no soreness whatsoever when he's bearing weight on it is good."

Jerkens said there was no sign of blood following the light work and plans to send him out for a full gallop Sunday morning. If all goes well, Quality Road could breeze Monday before being shipped to Churchill Downs.

"If he comes out of the gallops well, I'd be really surprised if he was to work on it and have any problems," Jerkens said. "(Sunday) is the big day as far as finding out where we're going."

The quarter crack is the second one the colt has suffered in the last month. He had one on his right hind foot while winning the Florida Derby on March 28.

Quality Road has had little trouble recovering from that quarter crack, putting together a pair of solid works on April 10 and 17.

This second crack, however, has slowed his training significantly. He hasn't breezed for over a week and Jerkens stressed he needs to make sure his horse is fit before deciding to send him to the Derby.

"To go a mile-and-a-quarter against the best horses in the world, you don't want to come in if you're not fit," he said.

Quarter cracks are a sometimes painful stress injury on the wall of the hooves. Though they are common injuries and don't prevent horses from racing, they can have an adverse affect during races.

Big Brown, who won the Derby and Preakness last year, developed a quarter crack before the Belmont Stakes and finished last though trainer Rick Dutrow said the crack was not an issue.

Quality Road appeared to be one of the early favorites before the injury. He has three wins in four starts and set a track record while edging Dunkirk in the Florida Derby.

Jerkens said there's a chance Quality Road's foot problems are genetic. Jerkens trained a filly related to Quality Road whose foot problems were so severe he considered retiring her.

He doesn't think Quality Road's foot problems are nearly as bad and has no plans to change the way the horse is shod.

McKinlay worked on the foot Friday and will place drain the half-inch crack on Sunday. He said the horse looks sound and he "couldn't be happier" about the horse's prospects for recovery.

If Quality Road does head to the Derby, he'll likely do a quarter-mile breeze the day before the race as part of his preparation.

Though some preliminary forecasts call for potentially muddy conditions heading into the Derby, Jerkens doesn't think a wet track would prevent Quality Road from entering the race.