SHEIKH MOHAMMED OBAID said at York following Postponed’s Juddmonte International victory earlier this week that he expected his trainers to obey his wishes.
Gr2 Dubai City of Gold – POSTPONED (photo: Andrew Watkins)
Last autumn the sheikh famously removed Postponed and more than 30 other horses from Luca Cumani and sent them to Roger Varian.
According to the sheikh it was linked to Postponed having failed to win any of his first three starts last year for Cumani, who saddled High-Rise to win the Derby for the owner in 1998. Postponed landed his fourth start of 2015 – the King George – and then the Prix Foy, before the change of yards.
“When I tell a trainer something he has to listen,” said the Dubaian, who also now has horses with Simon Crisford and Richard Hughes, when questioned by the Racing Post’s Lee Mottershead. “I asked one thing – to get Postponed ready before the race – and he said: ‘I can’t’.
“He told me after running Postponed three times he’s not ready and that’s a problem. He has to run him to get him ready.
“I am military. If I give someone an order he has to take my order. We do it like this. I’m not going to listen to a trainer giving me an order. I say the same to Simon, ‘If I tell you that you have to run in this race, you have to run.’
“I won’t take excuses.”
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