Mark Valeski, Peter Pan winner, will have surgery for knee chip

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mark Valeski, winner of the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park in his last start, has been sidelined with a small chip in his left front knee and will undergo surgery soon to have it removed.

Trainer Larry Jones said Monday that Mark Valeski was sent from Churchill Downs to the Airdrie Stud of the colt’s owner-breeder, Brereton C. Jones, and that he hopes to have the 3-year-old colt back for the Fair Grounds meet, which begins in late November.

“It’s just a little flake and the prognosis is good,” said Larry Jones.

Mark Valeski, by Proud Citizen, was second in the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds this winter and was under consideration for the May 5 Kentucky Derby before being withdrawn several days before the race. He then won the Grade 2 Peter Pan on May 12 as the 6-5 favorite and had trained subsequently at Churchill, where he did not have a published workout since that race.