Champion jumper Black And Bent has a tendon injury and will not race again this year.
Managing part-owner Mike Symons revealed the news via Twitter on Monday saying the Robert Smerdon-trained gelding had hurt the same leg that caused him to miss almost 12 months’ racing in 2010-11.
“B&B (Black And Bent) has injured his tendon – near fore, same as last time – and will not race again this season. Hopefully he can bounce back in 2013,” Symons tweeted.
The six-year-old equalled Lots Of Time’s Australian record of nine consecutive jumps victories when he won the Galleywood Hurdle (3200m) at Warrnambool nearly two weeks ago.
Black And Bent qualified for steeplechasing in a Ballarat steeple trial over 2800m on Friday when he finished fourth of four behind stablemate Fareer.
The Black Hawk gelding was to go for the record in the $100,000 Jack Dow Memorial Hurdle (3300m) at Mornington this Sunday before probably making his debut over the fences in The Australian Steeplechase (3900m) at Sandown on June 2.
The winner of 12 of his 18 jumps starts, Black And Bent has earned $643,830 over the jumps.
Overall he has won 19 of 48 starts and $936,236 in prizemoney.
His wins include 2009 L V Lachal Hurdle, the 2010 Galleywood Hurdle and the 2010 Australian Hurdle.
He came back from the earlier tendon injury to win the 2011 Kevin Lafferty Hurdle, Grand National Hurdle and J J Houlahan Hurdle.
Early this month he landed his second Galleywood.
Black And Bent’s best flat success was in the $150,000 Banjo Paterson Series Final over 2600m last July.
