Irish highweight EAGLE MOUNTAIN (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) will be out of
action for a few months after sustaining a suspensory ligament injury. Hero of
the Hong Kong Cup (HK-G1) and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), the
five-year-old had been pointing for the March 28 Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1).
“Sadly, Eagle Mountain will again miss the Sheema Classic and the World Cup
meeting,” trainer Mike de Kock said. “He has damaged a suspensory, but we think
we have been lucky and detected the problem very early on. There is certainly no
point in risking such a good horse, and we will probably give him six to eight
weeks off now and then reassess the situation. The plan remains to send him to
England next month.
“Obviously it is a blow, but we have Front House (Sadler’s Wells) for the
Sheema Classic and, hopefully, a couple more for a race we won last year with
Sun Classique (Fuji Kiseki).”
Eagle Mountain missed the beginning of the 2008 season with a pelvic injury.
Despite the bay’s absence, de Kock will still field a tough team for the World
Cup meeting. In addition to the filly Front House, he’s also expected to saddle
Asiatic Boy (Not for Sale) and Honour Devil (Honour and Glory) in the $6-million
Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1), while Archipenko (Kingmambo) and Bankable (Medicean)
are pointing for the $5-million Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1).