KEY POINTS:
Shake the hand of your worst enemy when they win because horse racing is the cruelest game in town.
If you don't believe that, ask the owners of Naturo.
They had the horse you spend a lifetime dreaming you'll one day get.
On Saturday morning she had the
potential to head towards being rated world class.
Today she has broodmare tattooed across her forehead. And lucky that it's only that serious.
Those dreams of a lifetime dissolved when Naturo took a wrong step approaching the Riccarton home turn in Saturday afternoon's $275,000 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas.
Her dazzling career ended when a flexor tendon tore away and x-rays this afternoon will reveal whether she has a hairline fracture to the leg.
That is a tragedy in any race - but it was a catastrophe for the owners that it happened in this race.
They'd gambled heavily.
They turned down $750,000 for Naturo before she resumed racing this campaign.
The prospective buyers were told the price was $1.5 million because that would be her worth after she won the 1000 Guineas.
Naturo was already an extremely valuable commodity when John Sargent put the saddle on her back at Riccarton on Saturday, but if Noel Harris had brought her back at the head of the field 15 minutes later the owners were looking at millions.
Group one-winning fillies don't fall out of trees and their $1.5 million was extremely conservative.
It had been only a matter of time before she won at group one level, now she heads to the broodmare paddock without that honour to underpin her breeding career or sale value.
"She's the best filly I've trained," said a devastated Sargent yesterday.
"She had temperament, she could relax and she could sprint - she had everything.
"She was going to go to Australia - the world was at her feet. It only happens to the very good ones."
Sargent didn't have to wait until Harris brought the filly back to the birdcage to know something was wrong.
He knew Naturo was so good that when she was battling at the 300m that could only have been caused by something serious.
"When I saw Harry [Harris] not using the whip in the closing stages, I knew we were in trouble."
Harris knew earlier.
"She didn't give me a good feel at the top of the home straight. I didn't know whether she was just relaxing then [but] when she didn't get any better I wondered whether to keep her going or not."
Sargent said the fact Naturo carried her injuries down the long Riccarton home straight to finish fifth said all you need to know about her class and courage.
"There was too much swelling around the area to x-ray yesterday and they won't be able to get a clear picture until tomorrow afternoon."
There is a colt in Sargent's stable that suddenly has a lot more weight resting on his shoulders - Naturo's baby half brother by Don Eduardo.
Naturo was bred by Andrew McLachlan, who races the filly in a seven-person syndicate which includes family members.
McLachlan put the Don Eduardo colt through the Karaka sale ring in February and the Naturo syndicate bought him for $100,000.
McLachlan lost the dam Rubiton's Best last year and the entire focus is now on the half brother.
"He's heading in the right direction, he finished third at the Te Teko trials at his first go," said Sargent.
The dream now starts again at square one.
