'He has always been a fighter' - Eldar Eldarov recovering from neck surgery in Dubai

Two-time St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov is expected to remain in Dubai for some time as he slowly recovers from a neck operation he underwent on Tuesday which has almost certainly curtailed his racing career.

The Roger Varian-trained stayer was taken to the Dubai Equine Clinic shortly after banging his head in the stalls prior to the Dubai Gold Cup on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan last Saturday that prompted his late withdrawal from the Group 2 contest.

The five-year-old reared and struck his head on the top of the framework after being disturbed by a rival kicking his stall and was withdrawn by the starter.

Diagnosed locally with head trauma, owners KHK Racing took no chances by flying in specialists from the US and Britain into Dubai on Monday to assess Eldar Eldarov, which led to his operation.

Roger Varian: trainer of Eldar EldarovCredit: Edward Whitaker

Varian said: “Eldar Eldarov sustained a complete, ventrally displaced fracture of the second cervical vertebrae in his neck. This was a significant injury which required stabilising surgery. 

"Dr Barrie Grant flew in from California, and Dr Jonathan Anderson flew in from the UK, and together they performed the surgery on Tuesday morning. We're pleased to say the surgery went well, and Eldar Eldarov is now recovering in the Dubai Equine Hospital. It was a complicated procedure, and his recovery is not without its challenges, but he is currently doing well.”

The Newmarket trainer added of the son of Dubawi, who won the St Leger in 2022 and the Irish equivalent a year later: “We would like to express our thanks to Dr Grant and Dr Anderson, along with Dr Sandra Valdez of the Dubai Equine Hospital. We would also like to thank Eldar Eldarov's owner Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his understanding of the situation, his commitment to the horse, and for insisting that every effort was made to give the horse the best chance possible. 

"It would be wrong to say that Eldar Eldarov is out of the woods; he has a battle on his hands, but he has always been a fighter.”

Read this next . . .

Eldar Eldarov owners 'pulling out all the stops' by flying US specialist to Dubai after horse injured in stalls accident 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.