Setback for ‘Baron’ owners
WHISKY BARON is injured and the Sun Met winner misses his planned Hong Kong preliminary in the Godolphin Stud And Stable Staff Awards Challenge Stakes at Newmarket tomorrow.
The setback is a bitter blow to owners Craig and Ross Kieswetter as well as to Brett Crawford and Greg Cheyne who had both flown to England for the seven furlong Group 2.
Barry Donnelly, Crawford’s assistant, said yesterday: “Whisky Baron cantered on Monday and was to gallop the following day but he hurt his hind fetlock and Brett had to pull him out of the race.
“The vets were at the stables to see him this morning. I’m not sure how serious an injury it is, or what is the long-term prognosis, but obviously it is a bit of a downer.”
Marcus
Anton Marcus has been suspended for a week (October 9-15) for failing to do enough to prevent interference to Gold Standard on his inner when finishing second on Table Bay in last Saturday’s Matchem.
Our Mate Art, who won the race and goes for the Green Point, has been raised 5kg to a new rating of 103, 12 points below Gold Standard who was conceding 2kg. The handicappers have upped Diana winner Goodtime Gal by a kilo to 101.
South African Fillies Sprint third The Secret Is Out suffered an epistaxis (burst blood vessel) when justifying 13-10 favouritism on her reappearance in the Supabets Conditions Plate at Durbanville yesterday.
She did the same thing on her second start last season when she was suspended for 60 days.
But this time she has been barred from racing for a whopping 180 days as the relevant rule triples the penalty if the second bleed takes place within a year of the first one.
Vaughan Marshall said: “I don’t know what causes her to do this. She didn’t do it at home or when she had a gallop.”
He added: “Giving them a compulsory suspension is stupid” and pointed out that this does not happen in North America. Indeed it doesn’t in Europe either.
The Milnerton trainer confirmed that fellow Grade 1 winner Always In Charge is fine after his Matchem run despite finishing eighth of nine. The four-year-old was giving weight all round and missed the break.
Final Judgement
Glen Kotzen reported that Final Judgement is similarly OK after finishing last in the Diana when the stipes ordered a veterinary examination which revealed nothing amiss.
Kotzen said: “She needed the run, stumbled coming out of the pens and was then caught wide.”
Stable companion Eyes Wide Open, who managed only seventh on his reappearance in the WSB Progress Plate, still pleased the Woodhill trainer who said: “He hadn’t seen grass this season and he had a nice gallop as a prep for the Cape Classic.”
Stewart
Finally Mike Stewart is not much the worse for being bitten on the hand by Icon King when he was tightening the surcingle after saddling the gelding for the Matchem. He still bears a nasty tooth mark and, as you might imagine, it’s painful.