Top sprinter Baraqiel could have run his last race after suffering a serious injury in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
Trainer Troy Corstens confirmed his 7-year-old Group 1 winner would undergo surgery this week.
‘’Unfortunately, he fractured a sesamoid [lower leg]. We think it was … at the two hundred meter mark in the run,’’ he told Gareth Hall on SEN Track.
‘’It’s such a shame. He’s such a tough animal for him to do that and still finish where he did. He’s done a marvellous job.
‘’So … we’re going to have to have surgery. We’ll have to operate and take … a couple of chips out, and one of the chips is attached to one of these tendons, so we we’ve got to do that for him
‘’It just gives us knowledge in what we can do moving forward. So, we’ll probably book him in for surgery this week and know more after that and see how it goes.’’
Corstens said they haven’t given up hope of the injury prone sprinter making a return to racing.
‘’It’s such a shame. I’d love to have if he was sound all his life, I think he would have been a superstar, but it is what it is,’’ he said.
‘’There is still hope. We haven’t thrown the toys out of the cot yet. He’s seven, but if there is one thing he does know how to do, it’s his rehab program.
‘’We’d have to make sure that he’s right to warrant going on, but at the very least, he’s going to have a fantastic life, whatever we decide to do with him afterwards. You’ll have a life at my place forever, that’s for sure.’’
Jockey Ben Allen described Baraqiel’s run as ‘honest’ after the gelding finished fifth.
”Another honest run. Had the right run, the others were a bit better today,” Allen said post race.
