KEY POINTS:
Lord Monty, who last Saturday won the $125,000 Winter Cup, underwent an operation yesterday for a fractured leg which has left trainer Peter McKenzie furious over the condition of a training track at Riccarton.
Lord Monty was injured on Thursday working on an inside training track which McKenzie described as disgraceful.
"We don't know if it was the cause of it," he said. "But in 50 years of going to racetracks it was the worst track we've ever been asked to work on."
McKenzie regretted not inspecting the track. "I should have run around it before. It was a bloody disgrace."
Lord Monty was having only a light training run when the incident occurred.
"He was only doing three-quarter pace up the straight. They can do this running along a perfect track but when you are given such a substandard track ... "
McKenzie said the chances of Lord Monty racing again were slim.
"There's a chance but we are talking about an 8-year-old gelding. He's certainly out for nine to 12 months"
Lord Monty, who was to race at Riccarton today, could not have been more impressive last Saturday when winning the group three Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton by 10- 1/2 lengths.
His jockey David Walsh rated him as up to winning in group one weight-for-age company and McKenzie was keen to give him a campaign aimed at the A$3 million Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley in Melbourne on October 27.
Lord Monty had recently returned from Queensland.
The Winter Cup stake of $72,000 had taken his career earnings to $216,000 with a record of 19 starts for six wins, three seconds and four fourths.
Racecourse manager Alan Chapman did not wish to comment yesterday but Canterbury JC chief executive Tim Mills said it was difficult to say if the track was to blame.
"I don't know whether the track contributed to the horse breaking down," Mills said. "Peter said to me that it may have. He didn't say it did."
Mills said managing the condition of the tracks was always difficult in winter.
"Whether they got chopped up more than usual, I can't answer that," he said.
"It's the end of a long winter and a number of our inside tracks have suffered as result of that."
It had been a challenge to maintain them.
"But other horses have been working on them and we try to manage tracks so we have got them leading into spring racing."
Mills said the club consulted regularly with representatives of track users.
"We meet every month with representatives of the trainers and jockeys that use the courses and we try and plan the use of the tracks," he said.
"But we had a clear message from our course users they wanted some tracks preserved over the winter so they would available over the spring."
Mills said he had sympathy for Lord Monty's injury. "I'm one of the greatest Peter McKenzie fans in the business. It's dreadful to see any horse break down."
- NZPA
