Castle Down Stud's MGSW Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) has been withdrawn from Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after a setback. The Hughie Morrison trainee was set to receive his favoured soft going, as more rain fell in Paris overnight and the forecast calls for more wet weather later this week in the Paris area. The 2019 G2 Dante S. winner relished the heavy going in the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville when last seen on Aug. 30.
“It's a real shame, but this is what can happen with horses–he's just wasn't 100% sound this morning,” said Castle Down Stud's Mark Weinfeld. “We're absolutely gutted. It's nothing too serious, but it's just sod's law.
“He's in the G1 Champion S. at Ascot [on Oct. 17]–and as I haven't heard what the vet has said, I'm not sure if he'll make that or not. We just need to know what the problem is. It would be nice if he made Ascot, because that is likely to be soft ground too. It's rather deflated the week, though.”
Weinfeld added, “I think he'll probably stay in training next year. “I was hoping we'd have had a good offer from a stud by now–but nothing has come yet, so we could continue next year and hope for a wet year. We're all very disappointed. But the horse is in one piece, and we live to fight another day.”
Other defectors at this entry stage are: G1 St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Juddmonte and John Gosden, and Joseph O'Brien's quintet of Buckhurst (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Crossfirehurricane (Kitten's Joy), Thames River (GB) (Free Eagle {Ire}), Degraves (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and New York Girl (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), leaving a field of 15.
Dual Arc heroine Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is now favoured over brilliant Classic heroine Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), as ground conditions continue to worsen.
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