Poet's Word Out for Remainder of Year Due to Injury
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Photo: Edward Whitaker/Racing Post
Poet's Word wins the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) winner Poet's Word will miss the remainder of the year following an injury setback.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained two-time group 1 winner, last seen finishing second to Roaring Lion in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York, has been ruled out for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs in November, for which he was a 6-1 shot.
Poet's Word, owned by Saeed Suhail, defeated Cracksman in the Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot and finished second in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on World Cup night at Meydan in March.
"Poet's Word has sustained an injury and will not be able to race again this year," Stoute said in a statement. "His owner, Saeed Suhail, will soon be coming to England and will make a decision on his future."
The 5-year-old, who placed joint-second in the latest Longines World Rankings behind Australian wondermare Winx last month, was also entered in the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot, in which he finished second to Cracksman last year.
Philip Robinson—understudy to the owner's racing manager, Bruce Raymond—reflected on the star's campaign: "It's a real shame about the injury, but he's had a great season. I've been there for almost all his runs since I joined the operation, and it's been a pleasure to be associated with the horse up to this point. Hopefully, we've still got a future with him at some stage.
"He's a determined and tough horse and doesn't know when to give in. He's a real fighter, and they're the horses who get the injuries as they give it all they've got."
Coral shortened the Champion Stakes favorite, Roaring Lion, to 5-4 (from 11-8) after Poet's Word was ruled out.
"Poet's Word was the closest challenger to Roaring Lion in the Champion Stakes betting, so the premature end to his campaign has seen the latter shorten at the head of the Ascot market, with last year's winner, Cracksman, the new second favorite," said Coral's David Stevens.