Jet Away Retired Due To Tendon Injury

Imported stayer Jet Away has been retired after he bowed a tendon during a trackwork gallop at Wangaratta on Sunday.

Jet Away scored his only win at Group level in Australia in the 2013 Easter Cup.

Jet Away scored his only win at Group level in Australia in the 2013 Easter Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Jet Away was being prepared for a tilt at both the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but Hayes revealed that the Cape Cross entire had suffered his second bowed tendon in less than 12 months and would be retired.

“He galloped really well at Wangaratta on Sunday but as a result of that he has bowed his other tendon,” Hayes told TVN.

“So now we have the situation where his bad tendon is good and his good one is now bowed, so that’s the end of him and we won’t try him again.

“He’s broken down and officially retired.”

Jet Away made his racing debut under the care of Sir Henry Cecil in the United Kingdom in 2010 and he worked his way through the grades before he was purchased by owner Douglas Taylor and transferred to the Hayes Stable in Australia.

The seven-year-old made his Australian racing debut with a fast-finishing win in the Golden Mile (1600m) at Bendigo on March 16 and he stamped himself as a genuine Spring Racing Carnival contender with a narrow win in the Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on March 30.

Jet Away was set for the Caulfield Cup, but had a disrupted spring campaign, missing both the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m), but returned to racing with a luckless seventh in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 5.

The talented entire was well-backed in the lead-up to the Caulfield Cup and he was set a tough assignment by jockey Damien Oliver in the final stages of the race, but still managed to finish a tough fourth.

Jet Away needed to win the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 19 to force his way into the 2014 Melbourne Cup field, but he suffered a tendon injury in the race and finished a disappointing sixth.

Hayes always believed that Jet Away was capable of recording a victory at Group 1 level and was clearly disappointed that the talented stayer was unable to perform at his best due to injury.

“He had quite freakish ability the horse and it’s a shame he was unsound because he could have won anything,” Hayes said.

Jet Away finished his racing career with eight wins from 21 race starts and accumulated over $300,000 in prizemoney for connections.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.