Talking Horses: Derby winner Desert Crown set to be ruled out for season

The chance that Desert Crown, who maintained his unbeaten record in the Derby at Epsom in June, will race again in his Classic season appeared to recede further on Friday when Bruce Raymond, racing manager for Saeed Suhail, the colt’s owner, admitted that Sir Michael Stoute is already running out of time to get Desert Crown ready for a race in October.

Speaking at Goodwood, Raymond said: “I would say he’s doubtful [for the rest of the season]. There’s nothing major wrong with him [and] we’ll try to get him there, but it’s not the injury, it’s the time it takes to prepare him for it.”

Desert Crown was “only just ready” for his seasonal reappearance in the Dante Stakes in May according to Stoute, after an injury problem earlier in the year and has not seen a track since powering two-and-a-half lengths clear of Hoo Ya Mal and Westover, the subsequent Irish Derby winner, just over three weeks later.

He was was initially being aimed towards last weekend’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes after his Epsom success but was ruled out of that contest, as well as the International Stakes at York in August, earlier this month.

“I know the way that Sir Michael trains, he wouldn’t rush this horse,” Raymond said. “The owner is very patient and said, whatever Sir Michael wants, I’m not going to press him. He’ll probably be all right in August [or] September, but then you haven’t got enough time to prepare him [for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe or Champion Stakes].

“It’s slightly different [to his injury earlier in the year]. I think they thought it was a hoof originally until they investigated and then it was something else, but it isn’t major.”

The Sheema Classic on World Cup night at Meydan in March is a possible early target in