Gr1 WSB Champions Cup winner Golden Ducat injured a suspensory ligament in training on Friday and is out for the season.
Devastated trainer Eric Sands said philosophically that racehorses were athletes and like their human counterparts these things could happen through no fault of anybody.
Top-class Golden Ducat won’t be seen in action this season again (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
David Thiselton wrote on www.goldcircle.co.za that Sands was not present at Summerveld on Friday morning but pointed out it could just as easily have happened had he been there.
He said Golden Ducat was competitive by nature and added even though he normally worked on his own he always put a lot of effort into his training.
He also pointed out the track had only just been harrowed and was even and clean so he must have just put a foot down wrong.
He only had empathy for trainer Peter Muscutt, whom he said looked after the Sand’s yard horses as if they were his own.
Sands pointed out that many others would had also been effected by the injury.
They include Golden Ducat’s regular rider Donovan Dillon, whose close bond with this top class horse is well documented.
Owners Mike and Norma Rattray’s dream is to win the Vodacom Durban July so this would also have been terrible news for them and it leaves stablemate Rainbow Bridge as the only July string in their bow for this year’s renewal.
Sands also had empathy for Lucky Jevu, Helen Richardson “and the rest of my team at home.”
He concluded by saying he and his team would leave no stone unturned to have Golden Ducat back racing next season.
