 He was beaten in the Hopeful Stakes by Jack High (whom he had defeated three times), getting stuck in traffic and carrying high weight of 130 pounds.At the start of the Belmont Futurity, he was kicked by another horse, finished eighth and was rested for the remainder of the season.In Blue Larkspur's time, there was no Southern racing circuit to prepare for the Kentucky Derby, so he was trained hard all winter in Lexington.