Al Khali's Sword Dancer streak ends

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Al Khali has competed in the last four runnings of the Grade 1 Sword Dancer, but he was not ready to run in Sunday’s 40th renewal of the $500,000 race at Saratoga.

Al Khali, an 8-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro, finished third in the Sword Dancer in 2010 and 2011, second to Point of Entry in 2012, and fifth last year. He has not run since last year’s Sword Dancer but is still in training.

Owner Adam Wachtel had considered retiring Al Khali at the beginning of the year and standing him as a stallion in New York. But trainer Bill Mott told him the horse was training well, and he decided to keep him going.

Al Khali was scratched out of a stakes race at Tampa Bay Downs in February when the race was moved from turf to dirt. Then, splint-bone issues that have plagued Al Khali throughout his career popped up again, and the ridgling is currently at Fair Hill getting treatment.

Wachtel said he hopes he can run Al Khali once or twice more this fall before retiring him.

“I hope he’s got a couple of races left in him,” Wachtel said. “In all likelihood, he’s going to stand in New York next year.”

Al Khali, who won the Saranac here as a 3-year-old in 2009, has won 8 of 38 career starts and banked $1,013,643.

While Al Khali won’t be in the Sword Dancer, Wachtel and Mott will start Amira’s Prince in the 1 1/2-mile turf race. Amira’s Prince had won four of his first six starts for Mott and Wachtel before throwing in a clunker in the Grade 1 Man o’ War last out.

“We were in shock,” Wachtel said. “This horse had never run a bad race for us. He had some minor aches and pains, so Bill backed off him a little bit. Bill does what he does best, has been patient, and he seems to be training very well. We’re hoping that race was an anomaly and that there are not more serious issues. We’re hoping for a good race on Sunday.”