Racing: Just A Swagger to be retired

If yesterday counted as a prelude to Saturday's Great Northern meeting at Ellerslie, you'd want to hope the scenario changes slightly.

In a fallout day:

* The Great Northern Steeplechase lost Grand National winner Bennyosler, who went amiss yesterday.

* Stablemate Mali Juraj, who was prepping for Ellerslie at yesterday's Paeroa meeting, was scratched at the barrier on vet's advice and will also be missing from the big race.

* Another Northern hope, Just A Swagger crashed heavily with a lap to travel at Paeroa, luckily escaping serious injury.

* Tommy Hazlett, who was engaged to ride Just A Swagger yesterday and in Saturday's Northern was already on his way to Thames Hospital when the Hasting's jumper went around.

Hazlett was injured when he crashed from Rural Bank in the previous race and needed an x-ray to ensure his arm wasn't broken.

It wasn't, but Hazlett was told last night a decision had been made to retire Just A Swagger immediately.

Trainer Paul Nelson told the Herald his recommendation to the owners of the veteran had been not to press forward to Ellerslie on Saturday.

"We'd planned all along that the Northern would be his final race.

"He always backs up well which is why we elected to run at Paeroa, but now this has happened it's probably the right time to quit."

The 12-year-old won $229,680 for his owners. "He's been a great horse for them and you just can't risk something going wrong in a race for him."

Nelson said Just A Swagger had not hurt himself falling yesterday.

"He tried to let strip with that horse of Wheeler's [Volkswagin] and the other horse made it and he didn't."

The steeplechase was a chapter of accidents with Brighton Pier and Joanne Rathbone holding on after making the pace from Volkswagin.

Primo Canero lost Shelley Houston with a little more than a lap to travel.

The Auckland Racing Club is predicting a track around a slow 7 mark for Saturday's big meeting.

"If the forecast is correct for good weather it should be close to dead in the slow bracket," said ARC racing manager Andrew Castles.