Horse Racing

Star Sydney mare Hot Danish has been ruled out of the Sydney Autumn Carnival and fears are that Les Bridge’s evergreen seven-year-old could be permanently down and out after preparations for her return later in the year at the 2011 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival have also been abandoned.

Multiple Group 1 winner and $2.3 million earner Hot Danish was originally set to contest the $175,000 Group 2 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at the opening Golden Slipper Festival meeting at Rosehill this Saturday March 19 in what was tipped to be a mouth-watering clash between Hot Danish and Gai Waterhouse’s brilliant mare More Joyous.

However, an injury set back has seen Hot Danish withdrawn from not only the Canterbury Stakes but the remainder of the Sydney Autumn Carnival.

The daughter of Nothin’ Leica Dane suffered a cut to her hind leg that became infected earning Hot Danish a stint in the Randwick Equine Centre for treatment.

After undergoing surgery on Monday for the abscess, Bridge confirmed that Hot Danish will be spelled indefinitely to recover.

Before discovering the seriousness of Hot Danish’s injury, Bridge had plans to take his stable pin-up to Queensland to contest the lucrative Group 1 riches at the Brisbane Winter Festival.

Brisbane proved an excellent arena for Hot Danish last year when she won the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m), a race she was going to attempt back-to-back wins in this May.

Now the future of this champion mare is in doubt with a decision on her career resting on how well she recovers over the coming weeks.

“It could well be that she has finished racing. She was flying but that’s horse racing,” Bridge said.

After a successful spring preparation last season that included back-to-back Group 2 wins in the Premier Stakes at Rosehill and The Shorts on Randwick, a second place to the mighty Black Caviar in the Schweppes Stakes and then a third in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) on Derby Day, Hot Danish resumed racing this year on February 5.

First-up she finished a game third to Centennial Park in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill beaten less than a length before running second to Melito in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) on February 19 at Rosehill, which could turn out to be Hot Danish’s swansong start.

To date Hot Danish, purchased for just $11,000 by Bridge at the 2003 Scone Yearling Sale, has won 16 of her 31 races for $2,333,630 in prize money.

Stay tuned to Races.com.au for more updates.

With Hot Danish out of the 2011 Canterbury Stakes this weekend, all the money will be on More Joyous.

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Photo courtesy (c) Steve Hart Photographics