By MICHAEL GUERIN
MELBOURNE - The heartbreaker claimed his final victims yesterday.
It was nothing new for Christian Cullen. In true pin-up boy style he has been breaking hearts all his life.
Yesterday he added hundreds of punters and the Interdominion promotional staff to his list of casualties.
The racing icon was officially retired yesterday, finally losing his three-year battle with leg problems. Only two days earlier he had been an unbackable favourite in the Victoria Cup and a red-hot chance to win the Interdominions.
His final act on a racetrack, a struggling third in the Cup, cost punters on both sides of the Tasman a fortune. Yesterday the damage got worse, with his retirement meaning hundreds of thousands of dollars in Interdominion bets being lost.
If misery loves company it had it. Harness Racing Victoria officials were left praying Courage Under Fire makes it through the series after spending months pumping up the clash of the two Kiwi champions. To lose both in a week would be ruin this Interdominions.
But Christian Cullen's latest victims should not feel too bad. They are only the latest in a long line.
As a racehorse he tortured his rivals. He would simply keep pressing them until they gave him the front then keep running until they gave up. Many - like former budding champion Iraklis - were never the same again.
Racing clubs fared little better. When he was hot, Christian Cullen pulled in the crowds, the cameras and the dollars.
But none of the major clubs were spared his wicked ways. After much hype he missed major races in Christchurch, Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne through injury. Clubs would tell sponsors and the public their meeting would be blessed with the presence of the great one and he simply would not turn up. Ouch, add a few more hearts to the pile.
His connections were obviously not spared the pain of the Christian Cullen syndrome. For every rose there have been two thorns. After all, Christian Cullen may be the only horse to have been retired during the Interdominions two years in a row.
Yesterday trainer Brian O'Meara and owner Ian Dobson found an antidote for Christian Cullen-induced heart conditions. It is called beer and they thought they better take a high dosage just to be on the safe side.
For O'Meara the retirement means the pressure is off one of harness racing's most-discussed characters. He sold his share in Christian Cullen to Dobson for more than $900,000 last year and since then the champion has won just over $30,000. The man may have his critics but you can't call him stupid.
So after this messy final chapter of Christian Cullen's career, how does he really rate against the greats in this land of great horses?
When rating him, forget the incredible wins. Forget the scandals. Forget the disappointments.
Remember this. On Saturday night Christian Cullen competed in one of the greatest fields we have ever seen affected by a virus that had him coughing like a pack-a-day smoker and with legs past their use-by date.
He was hurting and should have finished nearly last. He just hurt more and fought like champions do to finish a close third.
The miracle of Christian Cullen was that of all the hearts broken during his career, his wasn't one of them.
Racing: Icon full of heart to the bitter end
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