Caulfield Cup winner Mongolian Khan is still a chance of running in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on the second day of ‘The Championships’ on April 9.
Mongolian Khan is still a chance of running in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
New Zealand trainer Murray Baker had initially decided to end Mongolian Khan’s Sydney Autumn Carnival campaign after he was a well beaten ninth of ten to Preferment in the Group 1 $1.5m The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on March 26 last Saturday.
Murray told Racing New South Wales stewards that Mongolian Khan would be spelled after he failed to fire at three Sydney starts this preparation which also included a first up eleventh to Winx in the Group 1 $600,000 Precise Air Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on February 27 and a fifth to The United States in the Group 1 $700,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on March 19.
But following a thorough veterinary examination that could find nothing amiss with the Holy Roman Emperor four year old, Baker informed the stewards that he would monitor the stayer’s progress over the next few days before making a final decision on his immediate future.
The Racing New South Wales stewards released the following report regarding Mongolian Khan:
“The Stewards today (Wednesday) spoke to trainer M Baker regarding the immediate racing future of the horse. Mr Baker stated that a full veterinary examination of Mongolian Khan had not revealed any abnormality and he attributed the poor performance to the gelding striking interference on the turn out of the straight and then having to travel wide in the run. Mr Baker advised that Mongolian Khan had pulled up well and had pleased in its work and he said he will return to Sydney this week to oversee its preparation before a decision is made in the next few days as to whether the horse pushes on to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.”
Mongolian Khan was heavily mentioned in the stewards’ report following the running of The BMW after striking significant trouble on the turn out of the straight the first time.
Jockey Kerrin McEvoy was suspended for careless riding for allowing his mount Our Ivanhowe to shift in on the turn out of the straight which eventually cause Mongolian Khan to be checked.
Even though Mongolian Khan’s rider Opie Bosson said that he was at a disadvantage after suffering the interference and then racing wide, the Kiwi hoop was still disappointed in the way he failed to run on in the straight.
Mongolian Khan had performed well in Australia previously and as well as winning the Group 1 $3m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield during the 2015 Melbourne Spring Carnival, was successful in the Group 1 $2m BMW Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick twelve months ago.
If Baker decides to run Mongolian Khan in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he will be chasing his second win in ‘The Championships’ flagship feature race after his multiple Group 1 winner It’s A Dundeel took out the title in 2014.
