Roger Varian has ruled out several of his potential runners for the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
Varian entered five horses for the 11-week international event, which starts at Meydan on January 7, with only fellow Newmarket handlers David Simcock and Marco Botti putting forward more horses.
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s Postponed, who won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July and the Prix Foy at Longchamp in September, headed up his squad and is now the only likely runner.
Sheikh Mohammed’s Mount Logan and Roseburg, who acted as a pacemaker for Postponed in France, were also slated to travel, as was Realtra and Connecticut.
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“Realtra, Mount Logan and Roseburg will not be coming,” Varian said. “I’ll see about Connecticut, who would have options on the dirt and the turf.”
Postponed was denied a run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October after he was one of over 30 horses moved from Luca Cumani’s yard to Varian’s Kremlin House Stables. The four-year-old son of Dubawi will be aimed at the Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night.
“It is an idea that we will put in to practice,” Varian added. “I think it will be a good race for him.”
Joining him in the 2,400-metre race on March 26 could be The Pizza Man, the Arlington Million winner.
The Pizza Man is scheduled to run in the San Gabriel Stakes on January 2 at Santa Anita, before either a prep run at Fair Grounds on February 20 or at Santa Anita on February 6.
"If he was in a different barn, I would still tell you this horse is the best turf horse in America," owner Richard Papiese told Blood-Horse magazine.
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