An injury sustained at trackwork has ruled Akeed Mofeed out of Sunday’s Group One Audemars Piguet QEII Cup, but trainer Richard Gibson was still breathing a sigh of relief after scans revealed his stable star may race again next season.
Akeed Mofeed pulled up lame in his right front leg following his final gallop in preparation for the HK$14 million event – jockey Douglas Whyte dramatically restraining the powerfully built stallion and dismounting immediately after a solid workout on Sha Tin’s all-weather track.
Initially it was feared the five-year-old’s racing career was over but after further examination by Jockey Club vets, Gibson was delivered an encouraging prognosis on his dual Group One winner.
“We’ve got the results of the vet examination this afternoon [Tuesday] and we are very relieved to find that Akeed Mofeed has suffered only a short-term injury,” Gibson said. “He has knocked himself somehow, suffered some localised bruising and although it still means he can’t run this weekend, it is, relatively, good news.”
A career at stud in Australia awaits the talented son of Dubawi, who was purchased for a rumoured US$2 million as a three-year-old by Chinese billionaire Pan Sutong. Akeed Mofeed has since won more than HK$28 million – Group One wins at last year’s Hong Kong Derby and Hong Kong Cup making up more than half that amount.