LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Mr. John, the last-place finisher in the Preakness Stakes last weekend, has been taken out of training because of a slight ligament injury, trainer Elliott Walden said Wednesday.

"He got hurt in a spot somewhere between the hock and stifle," said Walden. "It's nothing serious, but we're going to go ahead and give him some time off."

Mr. John, who finished second but was disqualified in the April 21 Lexington Stakes, was sent off at 20-1 in the Preakness, second-lowest (behind 17-1 Richly Blended) among the six runners who did not race in the Kentucky Derby. The colt was well placed in the early stages before fading to 11th and last.

Also, Walden said Ecton Park, the 5-year-old horse who finished last in the Hawthorne Gold Cup last weekend, would be given "a serious going-over. We're trying to figure out why he ran so poorly and whether or not to keep going with him."