John McNair may have saved the life of his star sprinter Hay List after vets discovered he was battling colic.

“We had some luck and picked up the colic early. If it had of presented at 6.30 at night when I’d left the stable instead of 9.30 in the morning, I might have arrived the next day to find a dead horse.”

Hay List was an odds on favourite for the Doomben 10,000 before he was scratched late on Friday because of a hoof abscess. It was not until Saturday morning that McNair noticed something wasn’t right with his star.

“I actually picked it up before he got it. If ever you are going to pick up colic early thankfully we got this one. Fortunately I asked the vet to tube him with oil and electrolytes. After tubing him he started pawing at the ground and wanted to get down,” said McNair.

McNair said that while Hay List had shown some improvement he was not fully over the condition which can be fatal.

It has been revealed that the treatment Hay List was receiving for the foot abscess triggered the bout of colic.

“It got infected and the leg swelled up in front of our eyes. They had to treat it with some antibiotics on Saturday and that has probably caused his stomach problems,” said McNair.

This latest injury set back means it is unlikely that Hay List will race again during this campaign, with McNair declaring him just a 30% chance to run in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 11.