High-class cock Emily Upjohn was dropped from her intended reappearance at the March 25 Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) in Meydan after failing to shine in her final training session in Newmarket on Thursday morning.
Last year’s British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) winner took a 5-1 win in second place in the Dubai Sheema Classic and was ridden by Frankie Dettori. John and Thady Gosden will now have to rely on recent Saudi Arabian group 3 winners Mostahdaf to carry the flag in a $6 million contest.
In her latest workout, Emily Upjohn was ridden for more than a mile by Robert Havlin on the Cambridge Polytrack and completed a back flip with a decent senior stablemate without letting the world down.
“Emily Upjohn will not be attending the Dubai Sheema Classic this morning,” said John Gosden. “She’s not at her peak yet and we’ll be waiting for her target early summer here. She just needs more time in the spring to recover.”
Owned by Tactful Finance (John Shack) and Andrew and Madeleine Lloyd Webber, the 4-year-old daughter of star sea won the 2022 Musidora Stakes (G3) and finished second Tuesday in English Oaks (G1) before taking their first Group 1 win at the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes in October.
