Travel plans for Sir Alex Ferguson’s millionaire racehorse changed after health scare

Spirit Dancer, who won the £1million Bahrain International Trophy connected Friday, has remained successful Bahrain aft showing signs of colic and volition present alert nonstop to Hong Kong aboriginal this month

Travel plans for Sir Alex Ferguson’s millionaire racehorse person had to beryllium changed aft a wellness scare.

Spirit Dancer, a equine some bred and owned by the legendary erstwhile Manchester United manager, took his net past £2million erstwhile helium captured the £1m Bahrain International Trophy.

He was owed to instrumentality to trainer Richard Fahey’s Yorkshire gait this week but helium was taken disconnected the level and volition enactment successful Bahrain to get acceptable for his adjacent planetary assignment.

The seven-year-old has gained his past 3 victories overseas and, arsenic good arsenic 2 wins successful Bahrain, besides landed the £1.5m Neom Turf Cup successful Saudi Arabia successful February.

His triumph astatine Sakhir past Friday, attended by Ferguson and co-owner Ged Mason, has encouraged connections to instrumentality a tilt astatine a Group 1 prize, the £4.4million Longines Hong Kong Cup, the diagnostic lawsuit of the Hong Kong International Races astatine Sha Tin connected December 8.

Fahey told Mirror Racing: “Spirit Dancer has lone had 2 runs this season. He’s had a brushed twelvemonth and the program was ever to spell to Hong Kong.

“Now we’ve had a small spot of a hiccup. He was owed to alert backmost to america past nighttime and helium conscionable had shown signs of colic truthful they took him disconnected the plane, truthful he’s really inactive successful Bahrain.

“The vets person had a look astatine him and helium really had a canter this greeting and helium seemed fine. He was conscionable colicking a small spot but he’s good now. So it was a bully determination to instrumentality him disconnected the plane.

“But the quality is the equine that finished third, Calif, is owed to alert retired from Bahrain connected November 29 to Hong Kong truthful we’ve changed plans and if he’s each close we volition instrumentality him connected that flight.”

Spirit Dancer’s triumph was the archetypal of a memorable play for Ferguson, who besides owns shares successful 2 large winners astatine Cheltenham, Paddy Power Gold Cup victor Il Ridoto and Potter’s Charm.

Fahey added: “It was fantastic. Sir Alex loves it. He particularly loved his clip successful Bahrain. Have horse, volition question is his attitude.”

The Longines Hong Kong International Races, 1 of the biggest events successful world horse racing, comprises 4 Group 1 races worthy a combined £12.7m and among 56 horses from Hong Kong, Japan, Britain, Australia, France, Ireland, Germany and the US are 26 idiosyncratic Group 1 winners.