King Of Steel injured in training and OUT of Royal Ascot as Kia Joorabchian’s stable star’s season hangs in the balance
SUPERSTAR Flat horse King Of Steel has met with a setback on the gallops – and his entire season now hangs in the balance.
Roger Varian’s Champion Stakes hero – who gave Frankie Dettori his final ever winner in Britain – was nearing a comeback but will now miss the Brigadier Gerard and Royal Ascot.
Owned by Kia Joorabchian’s AMO Racing, the four-year-old sustained an injury on Tuesday morning in Newmarket.
He had been 3-1 for the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s at Ascot and just 4-1 for the Coral-Eclipse.
His owners released a statement that read: “It is with a heavy heart we have to announce that King Of Steel has sustained an injury during his routine exercise on Tuesday morning in Newmarket.
“We are happy to report that he is fine and his usual bubbly self, but sadly, he will miss his planned seasonal debut at Sandown and Royal Ascot.
“As you can imagine, this is a very disappointing day for all of King Of Steel’s supporters and all the people who have put their heart and soul into this horse.”
Football superagent Joorabchian told Sun Racing: “He was in great shape and form until yesterday when he picked up the injury.
“We haven’t assessed it properly and I don’t want to make any predictions.
“All I can tell you is we will assess him and do what’s best for him.
“If he’s back early great and if not no rush, he’s a stallion and wonderful prospect for the future.
“We’ll just get him right first and then we’ll see how he is – it’s impossible to predict timing but fingers crossed.”
King Of Steel was an agonising 66-1 runner-up in last year’s Epsom Derby, losing by just half a length to Auguste Rodin.
The monstrous colt then hoovered up the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot before finishing third and fourth respectively in the King George and Irish Champion Stakes.
But his big day came when sent off 3-1 favourite on Champions Day – Dettori’s final day riding in Britain before he left for the US after performing his retirement U-turn.
The duo produced a finish for the ages as they came from last to first to clinch the £737,230 Group 1 prize.
Sun Racing told you Amo Racing had recently removed two horses from Varian’s yard.
Joorabchian and AMO are on to their third retained jockey in three seasons after they parted ways with Kevin Stott last year.
David Egan, Varian’s former No1, is now in the hotseat and will be on board King Of Steel — one of only two Kia horses still with Varian — when and if he returns this season.
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