The search for the Thoroughbred stud Dubai Excellence has turned to Ukraine. This is where the horse thought to be Samood, who was identified as the stallion believed initially to be Dubai Excellence in Australia, is meant to have gone, sources close to the situation have said.

Michael Ford, keeper of the Australian Stud Book, confirmed the week of Aug. 22 that DNA tests confirmed the stallion thought to have been Dubai Excellence in Australia is actually Samood, an Irish-bred Thoroughbred.

“It seems that the mix-up occurred when both stallions shared a paddock near Newmarket in England,” Ford said. “The wrong stallion left for Europe instead of going into quarantine for his trip to Australia.”

Weatherbys, the keepers of the British stud book, are seeking blood and DNA samples from that horse who could be Dubai Excellence. The issue is complicated by the fact there is no Ukraine stud book, while the keeper of the Russian stud book, under whose authority Thoroughbreds in Ukraine come, was on holiday as of Aug. 25. Neither Weatherbys nor the Russian stud book have formal records of the horse thought to be Samood standing as a stallion in Ukraine