Racing: Millionaire trotter bows out

After a lifetime of following in Lyell Creek's hoof prints Take A Moment has finally ended up in the same place - the retirement paddock.

New Zealand's second-richest trotter of all time joined his stablemate as a pensioner yesterday, losing his 20-month battle with injury.

Trainer Tim Butt confirmed Take A Moment will not race again because of new damage to the back suspensory ligament which robbed him of the last two seasons.

The 10-year-old has raced only seven times since that suspensory was first injured in Victoria in January last year. At the time the injury looked certain to end his career.

Only cutting edge surgery enabled him to make it back to the track in time for this year's Interdominions at Alexandra Park but a lack of lead-up racing meant he performed well below his best.

He did return to win a feature race at Addington weeks later but only had one start this season before the leg flared up again.

"He has been too good a horse to keep trying to patch him up. After all, he has nothing left to prove," said Butt.

Butt admits Take A Moment has always raced in the shadow of the incomparable Lyell Creek, but says he deserves his own place in harness racing history.

"There will only ever be one Lyell and it was a bit unlucky for Take A Moment that he came along in the same era.

"But there was a time when he was unbeatable and he would be far too good for the open-class trotters we have at the moment if he was the horse of two years ago.

"If there hadn't been a Lyell Creek people would be talking about how great Take A Moment was."

Lyell Creek aside, Take A Moment's record since Butt bought him for clients in late 2000 has been incredible.

He ends his career the winner of 39 races and $1,164,356 in stakes, making him only our second trotter to win over $1 million.

His best season was in 2002-2003 when he won 15 of his 16 starts including the triple crown of the Dominion Handicap, Interdominion Final and Rowe Cup.

The Interdom Final was his second, coming after his 2001 success in Brisbane and but for breaking at the start of the 2002 final in Sydney he could have joined pacer Sir Vancelot as the only triple Interdominion champion.

At his absolute peak he probably had more sheer speed than Lyell Creek but was more likely to need the right run when racing the greats like Lyell or La Coocaracha.

But rarely has a horse who spent so much time in the shadows been so good.

"I know some people might have forgotten how good he was but I never will.

"Two years ago he won the Dominion Handicap [3200m] in 4:5 and he jogged it. Horses don't do that unless they are special.

"To have one horse like him is amazing, to have two at the same time like we did is unbelievable."

Rather than looking back Butt is concentrating on the challenges ahead at the New Zealand Cup carnival after a disappointing spring.

"We have had a few things go wrong but we still have horses like Dudinka's Cullen, Tribute, Tuherbs and Genius for the cup carnival."

Exceptional 3-year-old Tuherbs has been erratic this season which Butt believes could be because of a minor problem.

"But he is back on target for the Sires' Stakes now and all he needs is them to go hard, which suits him."

Tribute trialled well on Wednesday and Dudinka's Cullen is set to be a star of the supporting races at the Cup carnival.

And Butt expects his newest stable acquisition, Roustabout, to win at Addington tonight.

"She may not be at her peak but the way she worked on Wednesday she should still win."