Lizard Island Out Of Australian Guineas

Lizard Island has been ruled out of the 2016 Australian Guineas at Flemington on Saturday after he scans found that he had done damage to a tendon.

Lizard Island (inside) will not contest the Australian Guineas at Flemington this weekend. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Lizard Island (inside) will not contest the Australian Guineas at Flemington this weekend. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Lizard Island returned to the races with a solid fourth in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on February 20 and he was set to press on to the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m), but trainer Pat Hyland told Racing Ahead that the son of Sebring had done damage to his tendon and would miss at least six months of racing.

“He has done damage to his tendon and they seem to think that it is going to be six months that he is out for,” Hyland said.

“I just thought on Saturday in that race that he ran into third place about 50 yards out and then he lost it.

“That made me feel a bit disappointed and I thought that I hadn’t done enough with him, but then on Tuesday we found that he had a bit of heat in his tendon.

“We got it scanned and there was a hole there in the tendon.

“It is just a matter of time now, they have seen a lot worse, but you just don’t know.

“We have to live with it.

“He is probably as good a horse as I have ever had.”

Hyland said that vets were unable to tell him exactly how bad Lizard Island’s tendon injury was, but he remains confident that the three-year-old will be able to return to racing.

The veteran trainer said that Lizard Island did not need an operation, but would be required to remain in his box for at least six weeks before he is patiently nursed back to full fitness.

“There won’t be any operation, it is just treatment and he will be boxed for six weeks,” Hyland said.

“He will probably go into a smaller yard and then he will have to spend a bit of time in the paddock, but he will stay here at the farm.

“We will look after him.”

Lizard Island has only recorded one win in his racing career to date, but he finished in the placings in the Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1400m), the Listed Pin & Win Stakes (1400m), Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Group 3 Ladbrokes Caulfield Classic (2000m) to accumulate almost $400,000 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.