Pensioned Irish stallion Almutawakel, who won the 1999 Dubai World Cup (UAE-I), was euthanized because of chronic arthritis. The 12-year-old son of Machiavellian had stood at Sheikh Hamdan's Derrinstown Stud in Ireland.
Almutawakel was the first of two Dubai World Cup winners for Sheikh Hamdan. A homebred, Almutawakel defeated a field that included U.S. classic winners Silver Charm and Victory Gallop. That victory earned Almutawakel a Dubai championship. In 2007, Sheikh Hamdan won the Dubai World Cup with Invasor.
Bred in Great Britain in the name Shadwell Estate Company, Almutawakel was a group I winner in France and grade I stakes-placed in the U.S. He ran second in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. I) and Woodward Stakes (gr. I) and third in the Jockey Cub Gold Cup (gr. I). He retired with four wins from 19 races and earnings of $3,643,021.
As a stallion, Almutawakel sired eight stakes winners, four of which won at the top level, including Awelmarduk, winner of this year's Derby Italiano (It-I). Another son Wahid was a champion and two-time group I winner in New Zealand, and another son, Izzat was a group I winner in Hong Kong.
Almutawakel's daughter, Silver Cup, won the Italian mile classic for fillies, the Premio Regina Elena (It-II), in 2005. Sent to the U.S., she captured last year's Buena Vista (gr. IIT), San Gorgonio (gr. IIT), and Santa Ana (gr. IIT) Handicaps.
Almutawakel was produced from the Irish stakes-winning Green Desert mare Elfaslah.