Casa Creed withdrawn from Saudi race due to fever

The multiple Grade 1 winner Casa Creed had a fever last week and was not among the U.S.-based horses who shipped Tuesday to Saudi Arabia for their bevy of rich stakes to be held at King Abdulaziz Racetrack on Feb. 24.

Casa Creed, an 8-year-old son of Jimmy Creed, was being pointed to the Group 2, $1.5 million 1351 Turf Sprint, a race in which he has finished second the last two years.

His trainer Bill Mott said Casa Creed’s fever forced him to miss a scheduled workout over the weekend.

“He’s been under tack for some light exercise, but his bloodwork wasn’t completely normal yet,” Mott said Tuesday. “It was just a week ago that he developed a fever. It hasn’t been enough time. He could get sick from the flight and we don’t want one halfway across the world and have him sick.”

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Depending how things go the next few weeks, Casa Creed could still make a trip to Dubai for the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on March 30. Casa Creed finished fifth in that race in 2022.

Casa Creed, owned by Lee Einsidler and retired radio personality Mike Francesa, is a four-time Grade 1 winner, having taken two runnings each of the Fourstardave at Saratoga and the Jaipur at Belmont. Overall, he has nine wins from 34 starts and has earned $2.6 million.

While Casa Creed did not make the trip, the Mott-trained sprinter Bold Journey did leave for Saudi on Tuesday for a start in the $1.5 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint at six furlongs.

Bold Journey, a New York-bred son of Hard Spun, has won three consecutive races, including the Grade 3 Fall Highweight and the listed Gravesend, both at Aqueduct.

“He’s coming off two stakes wins, who know?” Mott said when asked how he felt Bold Journey fit in that race. “I guess you got to be one who takes to that racetrack over there. Not everyone is going to. You don’t know until you give it a try.”

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