The world’s best racehorse has been ruled out of the world’s richest horse race. Last month Laurel River was jointly crowned Longines World’s Best Racehorse of 2024 with Derby winner City Of Troy. He earned the accolade for a dominant victory in the Dubai World Cup last March when he defeated international opponents led by 2023 race winner Ushba Tesoro by eight and a half lengths. He was off the track until January when the Juddmonte owned seven-year-old returned to contest a Group 3 race at Meydan.
Laurel River was sent off at odds of 4-11 against vastly inferior opponents over 1m but his lack of recent racing appeared to tell. While adopting customary front-running tactics, he began to tire near the finish and was caught on the line by 66-1 chance King Gold, trained in France. Nevertheless he was one of the star names set to line up in the £16million Saudi Cup in Riyadh on February 22. Ten-time Group 1 winner Romantic Warrior from Hong Kong heads the cast list for the international contest on dirt but opposition to him has been gradually falling away.
Pegasus World Cup and past Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio is one of three US challengers recently ruled out. And on Wednesday, Laurel River’s trainer Bhupat Seemar announced that his main hope will stay behind in Dubai. In a statement announced by the Dubai Racing Club, Seemar said: "He had a small setback in training and missed his intended workout for the Saudi Cup. “We will keep him in Dubai and aim him at the Dubai World Cup.".
