By Matt Markham
The return of dual Harness Jewels winner King Denny might have been halted after one start, but there’s still some hope on the horizon.
There were fears two weeks ago at Addington that the multiple Group One winner had suffered a career ending injury when he appeared lame upon returning to the the stables in his first start for new trainer, Amber Hoffman.
It’s taken a few days to get a full idea on exactly what was bothering the gelding but it all came to light this afternoon.
“We had taken him out of the box and unbandaged him for the vet and then gave him a bit of a trot up,” Hoffman said.
“He was still a bit scratchy and I was starting to get a bit worried that we might have been looking at a cannon-bone injury.
“His foot had been carrying a lot of heat right on the heel and then all of sudden it just burst out.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before, he was obviously fighting a pretty serious infection judging by the amount of stuff that came out.
“So hopefully we can pinpoint it all down to that and now get him right again.”
Hoffman doesn’t expect it will take long, once the recovery process is completed to get King Denny back up to speed so his chances of tackling the Spring features are still a distinct possibility.
“We won’t be pushing him, that’s for sure.
“It’s good to have some sort of answer though because I knew he was going better than what he did on Friday night.”
While the next two weeks will be crucial for King Denny, they’re also going to be pretty significant for Hoffman who is again on the move.
This time though it’s not quite as far as her recent relocation to Waikouaiti from Westwood Beach on the Southern side of Dunedin.
The young horsewoman has taken up a lease on the property of Gerald Cayford – which has in recent times been playing host to Billy Heads.
“We move everything over at the end of the month, it’s pretty exciting because it’s a great set up.”
Originally the base of Andrew Faulks and Noel Creighton the property boasts 34 boxes and a 550 metre track with good beach access.
With a team of 24 in work that should more than accommodate Hoffman’s needs as she looks to make a strong push in the training caper.
“I’ve got 18 standardbreds and six gallopers at the moment, but there’s always new ones coming and going at any given time.”
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