Last Saturday’s explosive Rosehill winner Fighting Sun is out of the Autumn and miss the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 5.
Tommy Berry was excited after Fighting Sun scored a 3 lengths win in the Canonbury Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.
Fighting Sun was climbing his way up the Golden Slipper market order after making it two wins from two starts with a three lengths victory in the Listed $125,000 Canonbury Stakes (1100m).
The dominant Rosehill win had elevated Fighting Sun to $6 second favourite behind the Peter Snowden trained Earthquake at $4.80 who also holds the top spot for the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
But trainer Gai Waterhouse reported on Sunday morning that the Northern Meteor colt had pulled up sore and was sent to the Randwick Equine Centre for scans.
“He’s got swelling in the near fore, he’s out of the Slipper,’’ Waterhouse told The Daily Telegraph.
“We’ve just got to find out the full extent of the injury, which we won’t know until the swelling subsides.
“He was the best-two-year (in my stable), but what can you do? These things happen to finely-tuned athletes, and they can go amiss.
“I just feel sorry for the people who own the horse. They (Sun Bloodstock) have invested in Australian racing in a big way, so hopefully he can come back bigger and stronger.’’
“He’s such a good horse, but that’s unfortunately how things can happen.”
Waterhouse had talked up the Golden Slipper chances of Fighting Sun after his win on Saturday and was most disappointed for her owners who will miss out on having a runner in the richest two year old in the race in the world.
“He is a serious horse,” Waterhouse said on Saturday at Rosehill.
Tommy Berry was also very excited after steering Fighting Sun to a comprehensive win on Saturday.
“I am really excited,” Berry said after the win.
“He is a really laidback colt but once he pings out he is all class.
The latest Ladbrokes.com.au Golden Slipper market order has Earthquake the $4.20 favourite ahead of Magic Millions winner Unencumbered at $9 followed by the Waterhouse pair of Law and Nayeli along with Gerald Ryan’s colt Rubick at $12.
