By Michael Guerin
Injury has brought a sudden end to Spanish Armada’s champion season.
The multiple group one winner has a suspected hairline fracture and will miss the rest of this term, including her final major aim for the season, the Breeders Crown in Victoria in August.
Spanish Armada was slightly lame on Wednesday after running on strongly in a trial at Menangle on Tuesday and was immediately examined by a vet.
“The x-rays haven’t found anything conclusive yet but they suspect a hairline fracture,” said co-trainer Mark Purdon.
“Obviously she is too good to take any risks with so that is her done for the season.
“If that is all it is then I am confident we can get her back to the track in time, but even if she never raced again she has nothing left to prove, she has had an amazing year.”
Spanish Armada dominated the three-year-old filly features at Auckland at Christmas but her reign looked threatened by then unbeaten stablemate Partyon when she returned from Australia and beat her in the Northern Oaks.
But Spanish Armada extracted her revenge three times, all at group one level, winning the Nevele R Final, NZ Oaks and Harness Jewels, with her Oaks victory one of the great modern-day performances by a New Zealand pacing filly.
The All Stars still have Partyon, who races in the Queensland Oaks on Saturday, being aimed at the Breeders Crown.
“She is coming back to her best, as we saw with her win over there last week,” said Purdon.
Most of the stables open class superstars as pleasing the boss in their work, with Dream About Me and Smolda doing hoppled work while the enigmatic Have Faith In Me is looking happy and sound at this early stage.
And the news is all good with Horse of the Year in waiting Lazarus.
“He has just started jogging again and he looks wonderful,” enthuses Purdon.
“He hasn’t gotten any taller but he has thickened out in the shoulder and hind quarters.
“So I couldn’t be happier with him and while the New Zealand Cup is his main aim the Inter Dominions in Perth are a very realistic option this time around.”
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