Report: Kentucky Derby runner Danon Bourbon is out for the year

Kentucky Derby runner Danon Bourbon is out for the rest of the year after an injury.

Daily Sports, a Japan racing website, reported that the Maxfield colt was found to have a fractured knee. 

"The fracture in his knee was discovered after the Kentucky Derby," trainer Manabu Ikezoe was quoted as saying. "After returning to Japan, he had X-rays taken for confirmation and has completed quarantine at the Japan Racing School, so he will now undergo surgery to remove the bone fragments at the Shadai Clinic in Hokkaido in preparation for his return. The timing of his return is undecided as it depends on the results of the surgery and the rehabilitation that follows, but I think he will focus on resting for the rest of the year."

Danon Bourbon had a two-length lead in the Kentucky Derby stretch before weakening to a fifth-place finish. He was 3-for-3 heading into the Derby, including a win in Japan's Fukuryu Stakes.

“Everything had gone well with his preparation here, and he handled the paddock and gate very professionally,” Ikezoe told the Churchill Downs media team the morning after the Derby. “The plan was to be forward without having to make the lead, and he was able to do that. He’s still only 3 and showed he can compete at this level. There’s more to come from him.”

He sold for $450,000 as a yearling and is owned by Danox Co.