In an announcement made on Channel 4 Racing, it has been confirmed that AUSTRALIA (Galileo – Ouija Board), the brilliant winner of three Group 1 races, including the English and Irish Derbies, has been retired after a hoof injury to his right hind leg.
The English and Irish Derby winner was being prepared for next week’s Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot, but it was revealed on Saturday, 11 October 2014 that he will not race again and will instead head to Coolmore Stud to start his stallion career in the 2015 season.
Kevin Buckley, Coolmore’s UK representative, said: “Unfortunately Australia developed a problem in his right-hind hoof during the week and following consultation between the resident farrier in Ballydoyle, our vet and the respective owners a decision was made to retire him to Coolmore.”
Speaking on the Morning Line, Buckley added: “We were all looking forward to Ascot but, as you can appreciate, any type of setback like that jeopardises the training regime and hence we had to make the decision he would not be ready for Champions Day.”
Explaining the injury that means Australia will be unable to retire on a winning note after suffering a shock defeat in the Irish Champion Stakes on his latest and final run, Ballydoyle farrier Jeff Henderson said: “At the beginning of the week we discovered a bit of soreness in the heel, which makes us suspicious of a hoof abscess. So we poulticed away at it and the infection came out and there were no soundness issues at all. Then a couple of days later he pulled out lame and on inspection we realised the inspection had blown out through the bottom of the foot as well as the top. What happens in most cases, it undermines and eats away at the attachment of the hoof wall to the sensory structures and therefore rendering it weak and unstable. At that time he was stopped. In a case like this it’s going to take a couple of weeks for the stability to come back and in that time we’re losing fitness and therefore he’s not going to be able to join in on Champions Weekend.”
Dual Derby winner Australia has famously been described as “The best horse I’ve ever trained,” by conditioner Aiden O’Brien. Being regally bred by Derby winner Galileo, out of Oaks winner Ouija Board, there will be high hopes for his career in the breeding barn.
(source: Racing Post)
