Qatar's flagship international meeting at Al Rayyan Racecourse was abandoned following just one race Feb. 15 after two runners, including the Luke Morris-partnered Brave Emperor, slipped and were brought down on the home turn.
The incident, which led to jockey Szczepan Mazur being hospitalized, prompted Godolphin to pull out their three runners, including America's champion turf male Rebel's Romance, who was the favorite for the featured H. H. The Amir Trophy (G3). Following an inspection, racing was abandoned and the remainder of the card is set to be staged at an alternative track, Al Uqda, Feb. 16.
Morris said: "It's an absolute disgrace. The horse in front of me slipped, went down and my horse tried to jump, The whole way round I was upside James Doyle and I was a nervous wreck. It's so slippery we were shouting at each other. You were going around there absolutely bricking yourself. My horse barely got any traction all the way around."
In addition to two-time Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) winner Rebel's Romance being withdrawn, Godolphin also pulled out Al Qudra and Age of Kings, who were set to line up in the Al Rayyan Mile (G2).
Al Qudra, runner-up in the 2024 Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, and Age of Kings are expected to line up Sunday before a decision is made on whether Rebel's Romance will contest the rearranged feature.
Following the inspection, officials were considering switching the meeting to the inner dirt track, but the decision was taken to abandon the meeting. The Amir Trophy is set to be run over a slightly shorter distance at Al Uqda.
Tom Eaves, who was due to partner Washington Heights for Kevin Ryan in the Dukhan Sprint, said: "This is no surprise. On Thursday morning I breezed Washington Heights on the track. I was delighted with the horse but not the track, especially the bend, and I spoke with officials who said it would be sorted.
"On Friday morning, myself and my partner Amy walked the track and realized nothing had been done. The grass was too long and I raised concerns with my fellow jockeys about it. Hopefully, we're good to go tomorrow at Al Uqda where the jockeys say it rides well."
Neil Callan, who was supposed to ride Swift Asset in the Dukhan Sprint, was among the delegation who walked the track after the first. He said: "The holes they made on the crown of the home bend were diagonal across the track, which I've never seen before and I've ridden all over the world. I was planning to ride at Lingfield on Sunday but I'll now stick around for Al Uqda."
