Grade 3 winner GRAND HOMBRE (Grand Slam), who suffered a bruise to his right front foot during
a workout on Tuesday, has been scratched from Saturday’s $6 million Dubai World
Cup (UAE-G1).
“He’s much better, we just decided it wouldn’t be the right thing to run,”
Godolphin Racing Manager Simon Crisford said.
His withdrawal leaves Godolphin without a starter in the world’s richest
race. The Maktoum family, who owns the Godolphin runners, has won five of the
first nine runnings of the Dubai World Cup.
Crisford said Grand Hombre will probably be sent to the United States later
this year. The dark bay gelding won his first four career starts in the states,
including the 2003 Pennsylvania Derby (G3), before being acquired by Godolphin.
He finished fourth in last year’s Dubai World Cup and most recently was third in
the Maktoum Challenge Round III S. (UAE-G2) in his 2005 debut on March 5.