Rick Hore-Lacy has spoken about his sheer desperation after watching Pinnacles break down during the Emirates Stakes last Saturday.

The horse was fifth off the bend in the event and looked to be a real winning hope before visibly going lame with 200m to go.

He dropped back from the pointy end of the field very suddenly and was pulled up just over the line by jockey Steven King who immediately dismounted.

Vets quickly came to the horse and a screen was set up around him as they prepared to put him down.

Hore-Lacy meanwhile had seen what was going on and rapidly sprung into action to try and save his horse.

“It was almost an involuntary action on my behalf, I just took my suit coat off and started running,” he said.

“The vet was just loading his syringe with the lethal injection and when I got there I pleaded with them.

“They said it’s on your head, we think he should be put down.

“He relented and we got the horse back to the stables.”

Hore-Lacy said if there was a break in the bone it probably would have been a different story but the structure itself is ok.

“He hasn’t actually fractured anything but he’s pulled the ligaments away from that area,” he said.

In terms of treatment there’s little they can do other than keeping him immobile and hoping it heals quickly.

“It’s a fine line, we have to keep him immobile so he doesn’t do any more damage but at the same time we can’t keep him immobile for too long,” he said.

“The horse is comfortable, he’s not in any pain, he’s not sweating and we’ll be able to keep him around a bit longer.”

Pinnacles won 11 races from a 61 start career and Hore-Lacy says the stable couldn’t bear parting with the eight year old gelding.

“He’s won over $1m bucks, lovely kind horse and everyone at the stable is very happy he’s still with us,” he said.

“You do get very attached to them, the longer they’re around for the more attached you do get to them.

“He’s been around for so long he becomes part of the woodwork.”

Pinnacles went into the Emirates Stakes after claiming one of the biggest wins of his career in the $150,000 Sale Cup.

Earlier this preparation he also finished second at Group 1 level in Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.