Three-time Australian Group 1-winning sprinter Hay List (Aus) (Statue of Liberty) has been euthanized due to complications from laminitis. The 9-year-old gelding had been in retirement at the farm of his trainer, John McNair, since making his final career start in October 2013.
Hay List won the 2010 G1 Manikato S., the 2011 GI All Aged S. and the 2012 G1 Newmarket H. in a career that was plagued by injuries, but is perhaps best known for the races he didn't win. Hay List ran against the unbeaten supermare Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}) six times in Group 1 company and finished second on four occasions. Hay List won 15 times from 28 starts for earnings of more than A$2.5 million. His best winning performance was possibly the Newmarket, where he carried 129 pounds to victory over fellow Group 1-winning sprinter Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}), who carried nine pounds less. Hay List's 129 pounds was the heaviest winning impost of the Newmarket since 1959.
“I realized today we are only keeping him going for our sake, not his,'' McNair told The Daily Telegraph. “He has been fighting this condition since mid-December and in the last few weeks he was taking two steps forward, five steps back. He had a terrible night [Monday] and we could not put him through that again.''
Hay List, who raced as a homebred for the Davenport family, will reportedly be buried on McNair's farm, standing up and facing the sun.
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