The racing career of injury-plagued filly Assail is over after efforts to fix a rare throat problem that has restricted her breathing failed.

2012 Wyong Magic Millions winner Assail has been retired due to a throat problem. Photo by: Steve Hart

The daughter of Charge Forward has been restricted to just four race starts since making her debut with a victory in the Fonterra Foodservice Handicap (1000m) at Warwick Farm last year with a number of injuries keeping her out of big races.

At her second race start she won the 2012 Wyong Magic Millions (1100m) in very impressive fashion and was the clear favourite for the Gold Coast edition of the event but was scratched from the race after being found on race day with a deep seated stone bruise.

The 2013 Golden Slipper (1200m) was next on the agenda for the classy filly but she failed to fire in the autumn, finishing sixth in the Group 3 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) and seventh in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m).

Trainer Clarry Connors was hopeful that he could get Assail back to racing condition for the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival and was incredibly disappointed to have to announce her retirement yesterday afternoon.

“She has had two operations but they can’t fix it so she won’t race again, the vets tell me they only see one of these a year,” Connors told AAP.

“They say it could be caused by hay or something else getting caught in the epiglottis and infection setting in.

“She can run around the paddock just fine but under the pressure of a race she just can’t get enough air down.

“She is just not competitive as a racing proposition so I am trying to find a buyer to get the best for the owners who were very patient with her.

“It’s a shame because she just has so much talent.”