Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) will not travel to Australia for next year's Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival after receiving treatment for a blood clot in a hock.
Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's 7-year-old gelding recently spent two weeks in an equine hospital after the clot became infected. He is now back at trainer William Haggas's Newmarket yard and while expected to race next season, he will not be ready for Sydney in March and April, where his targets would have included an attempt at a third straight G1 Queen Elizabeth II S., and a second G1 Ranvet S.-he was runner-up there last year to G1 Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), who he beat in both his Queen Elizabeth wins. Addeybb is a Group 1 winner domestically, too, having taken the 2020 G1 Champion S.
Haggas said, “He came back home from hospital on Monday. I think and hope he's going to be OK. He's definitely made some improvement but that's going to scupper him [going to Australia]. He won't be able to leave England next February.
“His infection markers have improved, we're not out of the woods, but I think we're making good headway. Those sort of things can be nasty. They can be no good and it's good he's better. I very much hope he'll be OK for next season. He owes us absolutely nothing and we won't take any risks with him. From an Australian point of view this is a bad time, but from any other point of view it's a good time to have a bit of a setback.”
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