Champion stayer Eldar Eldarov sustained a neck fracture when he hit his head on the stalls structure when he was about to contest the Dubai Gold Cup in Meydan last year
A champion stayer who nearly lost his life in a freak incident has been given a shot at a new career as a stallion.
Eldar Eldarov, who was trained by Roger Varian, won more than £1 million from a ten race career, which included victories in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, St Leger at Doncaster in 2022 and the Irish St Leger a year later, defeating Kyprios.
He was due to have his first run of 2024 in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup last March but he reared up in the stalls and banged his head on the frame after becoming unsettled by another runner.
At the time his injury was described by Varian as “a complete, ventrally displaced fracture of the second cervical vertebrae in his neck”.
Vets were flown by owner Eldar Eldarov’s owner Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa to Dubai from the US and Britain to carry out stabilising surgery which was successful.
There was no prospect of him continuing his racing career but hopes he could become a stallion have been realised with a deal completed for him to stand at Chapel Stud in Worcestershire.
Stud owner Roisin Close said: “He was an exceptional athlete, and had it not been for a freak accident, he would most likely be out of my league.
“It is no secret that he suffered a potentially life-threatening injury in Dubai, and it is thanks to his owner’s dedication to his recovery that he is now able to stand at stud.
“With his welfare a priority, we will be limiting his mare numbers. We will also be offering a limited number of breeding rights.
“I keep having to pinch myself—having a Champion three-year-old Stayer and dual Classic winner standing at Chapel Stud is a dream come true!”
