Desert Crown, winner of the 2022 Derby at Epsom, was euthanized Monday after failing to recover from a fetlock injury he sustained during training in August.
Desert Crown was euthanized at Newmarket Equine Hospital according to the report by David Milnes of Racing Post. The 4-year-old son of Nathaniel fractured his right front fetlock during a gallop on Aug. 20. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, he was working toward an intended start in the Juddmonte International on Aug. 23 at York.
"He fractured his off-fore leg, for which he had to have 16 screws inserted," Bruce Raymond, the racing manager for owner Saeed Suhail, said to Racing Post. "Everything seemed to be going well, but he put so much pressure on his near-fore when he stood on it that it was unsustainable. He was put down humanely at NEH, where the surgeons have been outstanding."
On debut in a maiden race at Newmarket on Nov. 3, 2021, Desert Crown won by an easy 5 1/2 lengths as an 11-1 outsider. He did not return to the races until May 12, 2022, when he outclassed an eight-horse field in the Dante (G2) at York. Despite his inexperience he went off the 5-2 favorite in the Derby just over three weeks later, and rewarded his backers with a confident 2 1/2-length triumph.
Desert Crown raced only once at age 4. He made his seasonal debut in the Brigadier Gerard (G3) at Sandown, where he finished second beaten 1/2 length by Hukum, who would win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (G1) in his next start. That was the only defeat of his 4: 3-1-0 career, during which he earned US$1.24 million.
