Harbinger, whose 11-length victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes last month made him the highest-rated horse in the world, has probably run his last race after he suffered a condylar fracture to his near fore cannonbone in a routine work on the Newmarket gallops Saturday evening.
Richard Hannon, Strong Suit, Phoenix Stakes, Curragh
The $330,000, Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest on Sunday is a wide-open affair over a straight 6 1/2 furlongs at Deauville. Among the 15 entries, there is no standout like Marchand d’Or, who won the race three times in a row from 2006 to 2008, but in Planet Five, trainer Pascal Bary may have the horse to beat.
Harbinger sits lordly above the rest of the world on the latest list produced by the World Thoroughbred Rankings committee. The 11-length winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is pegged at 135, or seven pounds higher than three-time Group 1 mile winner Canford Cliffs and eight pounds better than the leading American horse, Donn Handicap and Metropolitan Handicap winner Quality Road.
Next year’s $10 million Dubai World Cup will be run on Saturday, March 26, at Meydan Racecourse, the Emirates Racing Authority announced on Wednesday. That will be the last of 20 meetings during the 2010-11 season at Meydan, the glittering new track that opened this year on Jan. 28. Meydan will reopen this season on Nov. 11 for the first of nine evenings of racing before the start of Dubai International Racing Carnival on Jan. 13, the date of Round 1 of the Maktoum Challenge.
Stotsfold, third in last year’s Arlington Million, died of colic on Tuesday night at Newmarket Equine Hospital. The gelded 7-year-old son of Barathea had been aiming at a second tilt at the Million when he was stricken with the illness two weeks ago. He appeared to be on the road to recovery but suffered a relapse.
Gloria de Campeao, winner of the Dubai World Cup, has been retired after suffering a tear to his left front tendon during a workout last Tuesday morning on the Chantilly gallops. The Brazilian-bred winner of the richest race in the history of the Thoroughbred racing this past March – the $10 million World Cup on the Tapeta surface at Meydan – Gloria de Campeao had been preparing for Australia’s Cox Plate when he was injured.
Goldikova easily captured the $392,000 Prix Rothschild at Deuville for the third time on Sunday, her record-tying 10th triumph in a Group 1 event.
Midday survived a stewards' inquiry to win the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood for the second time on Saturday.
