Cult galloper Alligator Blood may have run his last race, with trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott confirming the star galloper had sustained an injury to his pastern, located between the fetlock and top of the hoof.
The seven-year-old gelding won a trial at Rosehill on Thursday morning under regular jockey Tim Clark however the stable have said the injury occurred after routine trackwork on Saturday morning.
A less common injury than a fetlock or tendon issue, Adrian Bott suggested Alligator Blood could be looking at 9-12 months off with Gai Waterhouse confirming a year is the likely timeline, but she remains hopeful Alligator Blood could race again.
“He will be out for a year and we are still hoping he may come back and race again,” Waterhouse told News Corp.
Alligator Blood already has a comeback story, diagnosed with a ‘kissing spine’ in late 2020, with surgery to widen the narrowing gaps between his dorsal spinal processes, spending nearly a year on the sidelines before eventually coming under the care of Waterhouse & Bott, who were able to get the best out of him.
“Everyone is sad, he is such a special horse. I have probably only ever had one or two horses this good. Most horses never win a Group 1 and to win that many, it’s just magical,” Waterhouse said.
“He will have a lot of rehab in that time then hopefully he will come back to take on the best of the best. He will be monitored throughout very closely.”
“I don’t know if he will race again, but one thing I do know, for racing fans, is that he won’t be seen again until 2025,” Waterhouse said.
