South African trainer Mike De Kock’s Kentucky Derby contender Mubtaahij will race without medication in America.

Trainer Mike de Kock has decided Mubtaahij will race without raceday medication, making the UAE Derby winner the first horse in 10 years to run in the Kentucky Derby without anti-bleeding medication furosemide (lasix).

“He’s never run on it, he doesn’t bleed, and I’m not prepared to take my chances running him on a substance he’s never run on before,” de Kock said.

“He’s good enough without it. I’m not experienced enough to say whether Thoroughbreds in general will or won’t run well on Lasix, but (in South Africa) we only use it in training in very minute doses and he doesn’t bleed so he’s never had it.

“If I gave him Lasix he may run better, he may run worse, but I’m not going to experiment. Lasix is not even a consideration for him.”

The most recent horse to race in the Kentucky Derby without Lasix was the fourth-place finisher Don’t Get Mad in 2005. The most recent horse to win the Derby without Lasix was Grindstone in 1996.

Mubtaahij, who has raced five times in Dubai and twice in England, faces some changes in his routine following his arrival in the US last week.

International shipping regulations prevented the colt’s usual groom travelling with him on the flight to the US and a special feed mix developed by de Kock was not permitted in the country, forcing Mubtaahij onto a new diet.

“You’ve got to be adaptable, so we’re doing a bit of thinking on our feet,” the trainer remarked.

Mubtaahij was originally scheduled to spend two days in quarantine at Arlington racecourse in Chicago before shipping to the privately owned Skylight Training Centre in Kentucky before going to Churchill Downs.

The Irish-bred son of Dubawi, owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum, will now remain at Arlington before shipping direct to Churchill on April 27.

Mubtaahij won the UAE Derby by a dazzling eight lengths after taking the Al Bastakiya and getting beaten a head in the UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan.

By winning the last two legs of the UAE Triple Crown he will be only the second horse to compete in the Kentucky Derby having run in two races longer than 1 1/8 miles beforehand.