Contributer has been withdrawn from the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Stakes field after being found lame in his off foreleg overnight.
Contributer has been withdrawn from the Queen Elizabeth Stakes due to injury. Photo by: Steve Hart
Contributer was set to start the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Stakes as a short-priced favourite following his impressive wins in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on February 14, the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm on February 28 and the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21, but trainer John O’Shea was forced to scratch the High Chaparral entire after he presented lame yesterday afternoon.
“It didn’t work out the way that we wanted that is for sure,” O’Shea said.
“He just presented yesterday afternoon with a lameness in his hind leg and he was quiet sore over his hindquarter.
“It was a level of lameness that concerned me and he just hasn’t had a lame day all preparation.
“He is now not just a good racehorse, but a valuable stallion prospect and I wasn’t confident in it, so we just took every precaution in scratching him.
“It was gut-wrenching for my staff.
“We will regroup and hopefully we can get him back in the spring and show everybody how good he is later in the spring.”
O’Shea revealed yesterday that there was the possibility that Contributer could be retired to stand at stud following the Queen Elizabeth Stakes this afternoon and the leading trainer said that a career as a stallion was still a possibility for the five-year-old, but he believes that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and John Ferguson will wait until they discover exactly what the issue is with Contributer before they make a final decision on his future.
“I think we need to get down and find out what is going on,” O’Shea said.
“The boss want make a decision before he gets everything in front on him and finds out what the issue is and what has caused the problem.
“When we get all that sorted out in the next two weeks, I am sure that the boss and John will make that decision and whatever decision is made we will be really happy with it because he has been a pleasure to train and it has been a pleasure to be a part of him.”
To The World is currently available at 2015 Queen Elizabeth Stakes odds of $3.50 with Ladbrokes and is now a narrow favourite from Criterion ($3.80), Adelaide ($6) and Tosen Stardom ($6.50).
