By Tom Frary
TDN Rising Star Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) will be forced to miss Saturday's G1 Darley Dewhurst S. at Newmarket after trainer Roger Varian revealed that the G2 Mill Reef S. winner has scoped dirty. Having been supplemented for the seven-furlong feature on Monday, KHK Racing's emerging luminary will now wait until 2023 to test his Classic credentials. “This is of course very frustrating and disappointing and I am very sorry for owners KHK Racing and everyone connected with the horse,” Varian posted on Twitter on Thursday. “He will be put away now for the season and we look forward to him returning as a three-year-old.”
Sakheer's absence means that fellow TDN Rising Star Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}) takes on the mantle as favourite, with Sir Michael Stoute booking Richard Kingscote for the G3 Tattersalls S. winner. Ryan Moore, who partnered the Juddmonte homebred on his two previous starts, rides Ballydoyle's sole entry Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never), another TDN Rising Star who looks to add to his G2 Futurity S. and provide Aidan O'Brien with a record-equalling eighth renewal. Other than Nostrum, Juddmonte have a strong hand as the Andrew Balding-trained G2 Champagne S. and G3 Acomb S. winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) lines up with Frankie Dettori in the saddle, while Charlie Appleby relies on the unbeaten Listed Pat Eddery S. and Listed Ascendant S. scorer Naval Power (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}).
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