LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 11, 2005) - Jay Em Ess Stable's Declan's Moon, racing's reigning 2-year-old champion and the early favorite for Kentucky Derby 131 (Grade I), has suffered a knee injury that has taken the Maryland-bred gelding off of the road to Churchill Downs.

Trainer Ron Ellis told a Churchill Downs official by telephone that the son of Malibu Moon had suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left knee. He was unsure if the injury would require surgery, but Ellis said that Declan's Moon would be out of training for about 60 days in any event. That schedule eliminates any chance that Declan's Moon could participate in the Kentucky Derby, which is scheduled for Sat., May 7.

Ellis said the problem was detected after Declan's Moon scored an easy victory in last Saturday's Santa Catalina (GII) at Santa Anita, his first start of the year and first outing since a victory in the Hollywood Futurity (GI) at Hollywood Park that nailed down his Eclipse Award as the 2-year-old champion of 2004.

"He had a little heat in his left knee, which is unusual for him - he usually comes out of his races and his legs are ice cold," said Ellis. "I just kind of chalked it up to running a race and not a real big deal. But when I couldn't cool the knee out after about three days, I just decided that I'd better take some precautionary X-rays on the knee before I took him back to the track. He's a hundred percent sound. He's bouncing around the barn and he came out of the race great physically and mentally, other than what we discovered to be a non-displaced chip."

Ellis said a decision on whether Declan's Moon would require surgery to remove the chip would probably not be made until next week.

"It looks like he's probably going to be out of training about 60 days either way," Ellis said, "and we don't have 60 days to spare."

Ellis said the injury is not career threatening and that Declan's Moon should return to racing later in the year. He admitted that timing of the injury is very disappointing, but said the decision to halt Declan's Moon's campaign was the proper move.

"The decision that needed to be made was whether we go ahead and push on with him," said Ellis. "All three vets who looked at the X-ray said that a horse can last a race or two like this, but everything we would do from here on would obviously jeopardize his long-term career.

"I'm convinced that everything he's done, he's done exactly like I wanted him to. He's always won his races with his ears pricked and something left in the tank - all except the race down at Del Mar (the Grade II Del Mar Futurity) in which he was pushed all the way to the wire. I couldn't have been happier with the way things went on Saturday (in the Santa Catalina)."

With his champion going to the sidelines, Ellis still has a Kentucky Derby candidate in his barn in B. Wayne Hughes' Don't Get Mad, runner-up in the San Vicente (GII) in his first start of the year and his debut for Ellis.

"Now he turns out to be the appropriately named Don't Get Mad," Ellis said. "I just keep saying his name over and over here this morning."

Declan's Moon leaves the Kentucky Derby trail with a record five wins in as many races and career earnings of $627,300.

Wagering on Declan's Moon (wagering interest #4) was suspended in Pool 2 of Churchill Downs' 2005 Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Declan's Moon was a close second choice to Afleet Alex after Thursday's first of four days of wagering in the March 10-13 pool. Both horses ended the day at odds of 5-1, but slightly more money had been wagered on Afleet Alex ($6,313) than Declan's Moon ($5,948). He was the favored individual horse in February's opening KDFW pool in which he closed at odds of 9-1 with total wagering of $48,415. The mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in a respective pool, was the 2-1 favorite in Pool 1. There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

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