Dubai: A freak injury in training has forced trainer Dhruba Selvaratnam to make a decision that has hurt him to the core — pull Market Rally out of Saturday’s Group 1 UAE Derby.
Seen as the horse with the best credentials to test the unbeaten Polar River in the 1900m, $2 million contest, Market Rally is instead currently undergoing tests and scans at the Dubai Equine Hospital.
“It was a hard decision to make but a necessary one,” Selvaratnam said. “We’re hoping to identify the problem and see what’s needed to get him well again.
“It’s be hard to watch the Derby, knowing he should have been in it. But perhaps this may be a blessing in disguise as it could have been worse.
“He hurt his left fore leg and also his right hind led, which has an infection. He’s been medicated and given pain killers.
“Hopefully we’ll know more about what happened once they do an MRI scan on Tuesday,” added Selvaratnam. “He’s a horse for the future, but obviously the priority is for him to recover and come back to the stables.
“We’ll put him away after that and start building towards next year. He’s still young so that’s a big positive.”
