Desert Party to undergo surgery

Desert Party, the 14th-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, was diagnosed afterward with a displaced chip in his left front ankle and is scheduled to undergo surgery to have it removed, according to information posted on the website of his owners, Godolphin Racing.

"Obviously his injury contributed to his below-par run in the Kentucky Derby," Godolphin's racing manager, Simon Crisford, said on the site.

Crisford said the injury is not career-threatening and that Godolphin hoped to have Desert Party back in action before the end of the year. The stable hopes to campaign him as a 4-year-old, he added.

Godolphin has maintained a presence at Churchill since the Derby, but it was unclear Tuesday whether Desert Party already had been transported from the grounds to an equine clinic for surgery.

Desert Party spent the winter in Dubai, where he won 2 of 3 starts at Nad al Sheba for trainer Saeed bin Suroor. The colt was second in the UAE Derby to a Godolphin stablemate, Regal Ransom, who also ran Saturday in the Derby, prompting the pace before fading to eighth.