Hong Kong challenge on Dubai World Cup night diminishes after series of withdrawals

The 2017 Dubai World Cup will take place on March 25. Warren Little / Getty Images

Hong Kong shippers Dundonnell and Fabulous One go on trial for World Cup night at Meydan on Saturday and their presence looks to have increased significance after a glut of horses from the Special Administrative Region were pulled out of the World Cup fixture.

Dubai Turf aspirant Werther, and sprinters Peniaphobia and Lucky Bubbles will no longer make the visit to the UAE and will be prepared for a domestic campaign.

Werther is a huge blow as he had a realistic chance of providing Hong Kong with a first success in the Dubai Turf, while Peniaphobia has twice been placed in the Al Quoz Sprint.

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Not Listening’tome is still expected to take his chance in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, while rising sprinter Amazing Kids will bid to become the third Hong Kong winner of the Al Quoz Sprint on March 25.

Werther, who was an electric winner of the Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday, had received an invitation to the $6 million (Dh22m) Dubai Turf. It was Werther’s second run back from injury, and although trainer John Moore reported that the five-year-old had come out of the race well, owner Johnson Chen expressed caution by text to his trainer.

"I'm disappointed because I thought the horse had a great chance of winning the race but I'm disappointed too because of the trouble that the Jockey Club people took to make sure we could go," Moore told the South China Morning Post.

“If Werther won the Gold Cup, Johnson had given me a green light to go. There didn’t seem any change of heart after the race, after what was a very good win, so you can imagine how surprised I was to get this text.”

It leaves the Hong Kong challenge at the World Cup down on last year’s seven runners, with Dundonnell, who runs in Saturday’s Mahaab Al Shimaal and Fabulous One, who contests the new Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, still having to book their tickets to the most valuable night in racing.

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