Injury Update

Trainer Robert Heathcote had good news Wednesday regarding the status of G1 Hong Kong Sprint contender Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) one day after missing morning trackwork after going lame with a foot abscess. 

“We were able to shoe him this morning and he then trotted up pretty well,” the conditioner said of the four-time Group 1 winner. “On a scale of [zero-to-] five, I’d say his degree of discomfort would be about 0.8 and he’s improving all the time. He should be right for some light work [Thursday] and then–all being well–we can gallop him on the turf on Friday.” 

There was no update on the condition of Ambitous Dragon (NZ) (Pins {Aus}), who was also dealing with a foot infection Tuesday. On the eve of the 2012 G1 Hong Kong Mile, trainer Tony Millard and his staff worked literally around the clock to try to get the gelding over some right-hind lameness. The miracle came full circle when the Horse of the Year passed the vet and then all his rivals to score an improbable victory. Millard seemed slightly less optimistic when speaking to the South China Morning Post Tuesday. 

“I hope the result is the same as 2012, but I can’t say I like these sorts of omens,” the conditioner told the newspaper. “I believe it’s like the problem that the Australian sprinter has, but a little further in, so at first we weren’t sure if it was an abscess or a puncture wound, so we had to be a bit careful. But it looks like an abscess. We still have a couple of days and once they blow, the foot can clean up quickly and the horse will be fine. Luckily, he finished all his fast work on Monday.”