Saarland underwent minor throat surgery Wednesday to correct a breathing problem his connections suspect played a role in his fourth-place finish in last Saturday's Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

Trainer Shug McGaughey said Saarland, owned by Cynthia Phipps, remains on schedule to run in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4.

Saarland underwent a myectomy on Wednesday. A myectomy is a surgical procedure to cut tissue that may obstruct the larynx and cut off a horse's air passage. The procedure, performed by Dr. Mark Cheney, took 10 minutes and was done in Saarland's Belmont Park stall. After a day off on Thursday, Saarland was expected to resume training at Belmont on Friday. McGaughey said Saarland will work at Belmont on Monday or Tuesday before shipping to Churchill on Thursday.

Regarding the Wood, McGaughey said jockey John Velazquez told him that Saarland "held his breath at the quarter pole and didn't let it out until he stood up on him at the wire." Saarland finished fourth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths by Buddha.

After winning the Remsen Stakes last year, Saarland was viewed as a major Kentucky Derby contender. Prior to the Wood, Saarland finished second in the Gotham.

McGaughey said it has been his experience that horses bounce back quickly from a myectomy. In 1998, Coronado's Quest underwent a myectomy after finishing fifth in the Florida Derby and came back four weeks later to win the Wood. Mesabi Maiden also underwent a myectomy prior to winning the 1996 Black-Eyed Susan.

"There are still some questions in my head," McGaughey said. "The procedure is not always 100 percent successful. Hopefully, it'll help."