Racing: Mitchell out of excuses for hellish season

The season from hell is how Raglan-based trainer Robert Mitchell describes the 2005-2006 racing calendar and the performance of Just An Excuse.

The 7-year-old was attempting a hat-trick of wins in the New Zealand Cup in Christchurch in November when disaster struck six days before the Group One feature.

Just An Excuse suffered a bleeding attack following a searching beach workout. After a veterinary clearance he paced the race of his life to finish third behind Mainland Banner.

He returned to Addington three days later to finish a close-up third behind Howard Bromac and London Legend after sitting outside the leader during a brutally run New Zealand Free-For-All.

Mitchell left the New Zealand Cup Carnival in Christchurch quietly confident his mate was back in good racing form and ready for the upcoming Auckland Cup.

Then further disaster.

Just An Excuse recorded one of the worst performances in his 39-start career when finishing unplaced behind Lord Vader in the Summer Cup, just eight days out from the Auckland Cup.

The super stayer returned to the stabling area distressed and having difficulties breathing, leaving Mitchell no option but to withdraw him from the Auckland Cup.

Mitchell will take his star pacer to Massey University, Palmerston North, on Wednesday for a thorough veterinary examination although he may have already found the reason for the below-par performance in the Summer Cup at Alexandra Park.

"Just An Excuse was booked in for Massey University last week but I postponed the trip because he was lame all week," said Mitchell. "I took him over to our vet on Thursday and had the coffin joints in both front feet injected.

"He's had an ongoing problem with a club foot and that has caused all sorts of problems over the past 18 months. He was sore in that area all week and our vet told me that, when a horse races when they're in a bit of pain, that they can get in quite a distressed state afterwards.

"I may be grasping at straws but that's perhaps why the horse was so distressed after the Summer Cup and that's why he didn't go as well that night, have because the leg was bothering him.

"I want him as sound as a bell when he goes to Massey University because they're going to put him on a treadmill and measure his lung capacity when he is stressed. They'll also be able to tell me if he is bleeding internally.

"We've won over a $1 million in stake money with this horse because we've had easy access to a beach out here in Raglan to train him on.

"Because of the club foot we've had to train him on a beach because his legs wouldn't handle the daily pounding they'd take on a regular training track.

"When you spend so much time around a racehorse you never prepare yourself for a moment like this when it could be the end of the road and he has to be retired.

"I'll only press on with this horse if we get a favourable report from the vet team at Massey otherwise he'll be retired immediately.

"If we get the green light to press on he'll have a couple of trial runs here then we'll take him to Melbourne for some racing before the Inter Dominion Series in Tasmania.

"That's the thing with this horse. He doesn't have to be conventionally trained to bring him up to peak fitness to race."

Just An Excuse has an impressive career record of 17 wins and 12 minor placings from 39 starts and $1 million in stake earnings.


- HERALD ON SUNDAY