Joe Pride has confirmed Eduardo will join Nature Strip in the green pastures of retirement after running fourth in the Concorde Stakes.
The ageless sprinters became aged in less than a minute on Saturday, and it was clear Father Time had caught up with the two marvels.
“He is still a sound horse and I could go on with him but he doesn’t deserve to race in lesser races,” Pride said of Eduardo.
“He goes out in the best company and makes it 5-8 with one of the best sprinters we have seen this century [Nature Strip]. He was just not quite up to that grade on Saturday but he has been wonderful for me and my team.
“We will find him a good home, where he can be very active because he is that type of horse, he doesn’t know he is 10.”
Eduardo farewells his track career a 12-time winner from 35 starts and boasts almost $8 million in prizemoney. His two group 1 wins came in the Galaxy and Doomben 10,000, both in 2021.
Nash Rawiller and Eduardo.Credit: Getty
His most memorable clash with Nature Strip came the same year in the Challenge Stakes over the Randwick 1000m.
The star sprinters cleared out as they locked horns and smashed the track record by more than half second, with Eduardo gaining the decision.
Overseas raiders to bring soundness passport to Everest carnival
International raiders chasing the Sydney spring riches will bring a soundness passport with them to Canterbury next month as part of veterinary checks to compete in the Everest carnival.
Racing NSW chief veterinary officer Peter Curl is using the Sleip system, a markless lameness diagnostics system, that uses iPhone and AI technology to assess trot-ups from international horses in the autumn and it’s set to be expanded in its use in coming months.
Fireburn will be monitored by the Sliep system in trot-ups during her spring preparation. Credit: Getty
Rather than scans, as used in Victoria, the system allows a picture of a horse’s movement to be built over time and makes it easier to assess changes in actions.
“A trot-up is a snapshot of that moment in time and it can be very subjective from vet to vet,” Curl said. “Stables know how to use iPhones in their general practices and they send us videos of trot-ups, which are assessed using the system.”
“It gives a fairly good idea of how horses move and their normal path patterns of motion before they arrive.
“We’ve asked for trot-ups from these international horses for a long time in advance.
“We are using it to monitor these horses longitudinally, so if there’s any major change in a pattern of movement, we can match it against what we have seen before.
“It is a game-changer for horses travelling around the world.
“The worst call as a regulator you’re asked to make is if you’re suddenly presented with a horse, and it’s asymmetric, or potentially a little bit lame. This gives us a record of horses and base to work from.”
The system was used successfully in the autumn when Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Dubai Honour’s history was shared with Hong Kong when he travelled there.
Tom Marquand rides Dubai Honour to victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes this year.Credit: Getty
It has extended it to some horses in training in Sydney, most notably Fireburn, who was ruled out of the Queensland Oaks by vets on lameness grounds. Fireburn was videoed before being passed to run in the Tramway Stakes on Saturday and will be monitored throughout her campaign.
“It is easy to do and great that the vets can see how she moves and that she is sound,” Fireburn’s trainer Portelli said. “You can tell them that is how she is, but with this system they have a record of it.”
Eureka winner Encipher always had something
There was always something special about Eureka winner Encipher from birth.
The Captaintreacherous mare was bred in South Australia by hobby breeder Tyson Linke, who has a couple of foals a year, but he saw quality in Encipher from the start.
Encipher charges away from Leap To Fame to win the Eureka at Menangle on Saturday.Credit: Club Menangle
“I had never had a horse with Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin, but I cold-called them when she was a yearling and asked if they would take her,” Linke said.
“There was just something about her I had never seen before.
“I was in the Foodland carpark when I got the message back saying yes and it’s lucky there is no CC footage of it because I went off in the car, I was happy.”
Stewart and Tonkin had cut their numbers during COVID. It was a one-off to take the mare and she impressed them. Tonkin was putting her on the truck to go to the breakers one day and stopped.
“I looked at her and said ‘take her off I think I want to break her in myself’,” Tonkin said. “She just gave me this feeling. She really never left our system since.”
Encipher caused a shock when she ran down favourite Leap To Fame, setting a world mares record for 2400m in front of 12,000 fans.
The first Eureka was an outstanding success, capped by winning slot holder Summit Bloodstock putting $10,000 on the bar to celebrate its win as Birds Of Tokyo belted out a set at the end of the meeting.
Waller’s start three-year-old to miss Run To The Rose
Chris Waller is set to miss Saturday’s Run To The Rose with group 1 winning colts Shinzo and Militarize, with Golden Slipper winner Shinzo likely to head straight to the Golden Rose.
“I’m not a big fan of set weights and penalties races,” Waller said. “I’d definitely like to keep them apart. I’d say they will end up clashing in the Golden Rose, but I think they will be going on different paths from there. I’d have a slight leaning to Shinzo going straight to the Golden Rose because then I’m keeping him fresh and can go to The Everest.”
Militarize, however, could be seen at Rosehill on Saturday.
“There’s a chance he could run in the Theo Marks [Stakes],” Waller said. “I just think Theo Marks, 1300, might be a little bit better than a 1200m carrying a big weight.”
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