Group One-placed stayer Lamasery is suffering a career-threatening arthritic condition, trainer David Vandyke has revealed.
Placed in this season’s Group One Metropolitan Handicap and a Flemington winner during the Melbourne Cup carnival, Lamasery will have his future decided after a long spell.
“He’s got some arthritic changes in the base of his cannon bone in three legs,” Vandyke said.
“To be kind to the horse we will give him six months in the paddock and then hopefully we can bring him back and set him for the Metropolitan again.”
Vandyke says veterinary advice about Lamasery’s condition is promising.
“The vets tell me we’ve got a fair to good chance and we’ll do everything we can to get him back,” he said.
“But if he’s not happy or not performing he’ll be retired.”
Lamasery won seven metropolitan races in 2011, including three at stakes level.
His emergence has helped Vandyke re-establish his training credentials to the point where is ready to increase numbers after moving into new Warwick Farm stables.
“My training career was on pretty shaky ground until Lamasery came along,” Vandyke said.
“I started the year with seven boxes and three horses in work but I’ve just moved into new stables with 20 boxes.
“There are 10 horses there now and I’ve got some lovely young horses coming through and most of that has been off the back of Lamasery.”
Vandyke produced another potential staying find when lightly-raced mare Bag Of Nickels landed a Boxing Day plunge at Rosehill.
Having her first start since July and only the fifth of her career, Bag Of Nickels scored after a ground-saving ride from comeback jockey Peter Robl.
“She’s been a slow-maturing mare and we’ve taken our time but I’m really looking forward to 2012 with her,” Vandyke said.
AAP TURF
