Hong Kong Cup winner Akeed Mofeed has been "pencilled in" by trainer Richard Gibson for a tilt at the US$1 million Arlington Million in Chicago after being cleared of lasting damage from the incident that forced his withdrawal from the QE II Cup.
Douglas Whyte was forced to pull Akeed Mofeed to a stop during one of his final pieces of work before the Audemars Piguet QE II after, Gibson believes, the stallion struck himself on his right foreleg.
The injury forced the five-year-old out of last weekend's international feature but Gibson was relieved to find later that the injury was not serious. He then turned his attention to finding assignments between now and next season so that Akeed Mofeed, a big, gross horse who puts on weight quickly, would not be without a race until October, making it difficult to get him fit again.
He had been toying with the Singapore International Airlines Cup this month, or a Royal Ascot assignment next month, but has now come up with the fresh option of Chicago on August 16.
"He has completed his MRI scans and also his tendon scans and I'm delighted to report there is no soft tissue damage whatsoever, which is great news," Gibson said on Thursday.
"There is still some swelling which has to come down, so we'll have another quiet week this week, and that rules out Singapore and unfortunately puts question marks on a Royal Ascot prep, too. He will just be missing too much work for a big heavy colt like him so we're looking at all the other options, including America.
"He's entered for Arlington, a race I've been to before with Doctor Dino, and the logistics are not bad. There is a direct flight, quarantine, everything's right there - it's a no-brainer actually. We've pencilled him in for it, he'll resume a rigorous full training programme before the end of our season and we'll see how we go."
Akeed Mofeed would be the first runner for a Hong Kong trainer in the US.
More immediately, Gibson is approaching Sunday's Champions Mile with quiet confidence in Hong Kong Mile runner-up Gold-Fun.
"He's an easy horse to train and I've got him exactly where I want him.
"I'd say he's better than he was for the race in December - he was a bit too prepped for that and was still unlucky not to nail it on the day," Gibson said.
"That's Group One racing. Sometimes you've got to take your hat off to someone who beats you but I know I've got my horse in great shape and if someone beats him, so be it."
Gibson said there were no plans to head overseas with Gold-Fun, as the horse deserved a rest after Sunday's race.
