Trainer Rick Hore-Lacy has revealed that the racing career of injury-plagued galloper Chase The Rainbow may be over after he was ruled out of the remainder of the 2014 Autumn Racing Carnival after being found to have suffered a hock injury.
Chase The Rainbow has not been seen at the races since his narrow win over Star Rolling in the Carlyon Cup at Caulfield on February 8. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Chase The Rainbow returned to the races for the first time in over twelve months when he contested the Listed Christmas Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Boxing Day, but failed to fire and finished at the tail of the field.
He returned to a semblance of his best form with a fourth place finish in the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on January 11 and was only narrowly denied victory in the Listed John Dillon Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on January 25 before returning to the winners’ stall with a tough win over Star Rolling in the Listed Carlyon Cup (1600m) at the same venue on February 8.
Chase The Rainbow looked as though he was on track to contest the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 12, but he pulled up sore following his Carlyon Cup victory and Hore-Lacy told TVN this afternoon that the son of Chase The Rainbow would miss the rest of the autumn with yet another injury.
“It’s really unfortunate, especially when he’s your best horse,” Hore-Lacy said.
“We never really got to see the best of him, he was always overcoming injury.
“I’ve got no doubt he was a Group 1 horse.”
Hore-Lacy confirmed that there was a strong chance that Chase The Rainbow would be retired and sent to stud.
Chase The Rainbow made his racing debut with a poor performance in the Inglis Bonus at Caulfield on July 16 in 2011, but improved significantly as he got further into his three-year-old campaign and stamped himself as a Group 1 contender with a win in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m).
The talented entire failed to fire when seventh in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and spent almost eleven months in the spelling paddock before returning to racing with a dominant win in the National Jockeys’ Celebration Day Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on September 1 2012.
Chase The Rainbow battled through a wide variety of injuries, including a hairline fracture to his cannon bone, hoof problems and a cracked shoulder as well as tendon issues, which kept him away for racing for another significant period.
If Chase The Rainbow is retired he will finish his racing career with five wins from eleven starts and total prizemoney of $357,638.
