Mubtaker, 9, dies in gallop

Mubtaker, a champion, multiple Group 2 winner, and the runner-up in the 2003 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, died Tuesday after breaking his leg on the gallops at Lambourn, England.

A son of Silver Hawk, Mubtaker was 9.

Mubtaker, trained by Marcus Tregoning for Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum, sustained multiple fractures in his right hind leg while exercising, the Racing Post reported. His rider, John Kennedy, was not hurt. Veterinarians on the scene determined that the horse's injuries were too serious to warrant treatment, and he was euthanized.

Mubtaker's career included victories in three consecutive runnings of the Group 2 Stan James Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury and a narrow defeat by Dalakhani in the Arc.

"People may ask why a 9-year-old hadn't been retired," Tregoning said to the Post, "but the answer is simple. He loved the daily routine of a racing yard. He loved racing."

Warren Rosenthal bred Mubtaker in Kentucky from the winning Irish River mare Gazayil. He was a half-brother to the 1998 French 1000 Guineas runner-up, Crystal Downs.

Mubtaker won 13 of his 31 starts, including 12 stakes wins, and earned $1,220,652. He most recently won the Group 3 Dubai Tennis Championships at Newbury on April 11. He was champion older horse in 2003 in both England and France.