2022 Derby winner Desert Crown 'not out of the woods yet' as he recovers from surgery

Desert Crown is "not out of the woods yet" as he recovers from an operation on the fractured fetlock he sustained during exercise in Newmarket on Sunday morning.

Last year’s Epsom Derby hero has endured a luckless run with injury over the past year but his  latest setback is the most serious. He suffered the fracture on the Al Bahathri Polytrack during his final piece of work before his intended run in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old was immediately taken to Newmarket Equine Hospital and underwent an operation on Monday.

Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saaed Suhail, said on Tuesday: “Desert Crown is progressing well from an operation on his fractured off-fore fetlock but he’s not out of the woods yet. Newmarket Equine Hospital’s surgeon Matt Smith did a marvellous job and he couldn't be in better hands.

"Desert Crown had several screws in his leg when I went to see him this morning and now is a tricky time. Horses in training coming out of surgery are at risk of colic or infection, so they're monitoring him around the clock.”

The son of Nathaniel was on the way back from a minor injury that kept him out of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot last month. He spent nearly a year on the sidelines after his Derby success but put in a high-class effort on his comeback in May with a close second to Hukum in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown. 

On the question of whether Desert Crown would race on after his injury, Raymond said: “He’s definitely out for the season. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

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