TOKYO (AP) Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence is fighting for his life after developing a debilitating disease in his left foreleg, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Shadai Stallion Station spokesman Eisuke Tokutake said the 1989 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic champion might have to be euthanized within a week, according to The Japan Times.

Sunday Silence developed a hoof disease called laminitis about two weeks ago and the stallion's condition has gradually worsened, the English-language newspaper reported.

The 16-year-old horse is being treated at the Stallion Station on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido.

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