By MICHAEL GUERIN
An injury has brought the season of champion trotting filly Enthusiast to an expensive end.
The freakish 3-year-old should have been on a plane yesterday to Melbourne, where she was set to start a clean sweep of the Aussie trotting features in Saturday night's Victoria Oaks.
But instead she was on a float home to Canterbury.
Trainer Paul Nairn was forced to cancel the Australian campaign after a slight ligament strain was detected in Enthusiast's off-hind leg.
"It is not too serious and she wasn't even lame, but she is too good to take any risks with," said Nairn.
"I have had her scanned and the vet said while she could have to gone at Australia and raced there would have been the risk of permanent damage."
Enthusiast will now be spelled for four months and Australia's loss could be Auckland's gain.
Had Enthusiast campaigned in Australia she would have returned in August.
A lengthy spell then would have given her little chance of returning for next season's Rowe Cup.
"But because she will be having a big spell now she should be ready for the Rowe next season and possibly even the Interdoms."
Enthusiast ends her season having earned the right to be rated the greatest trotting filly produced in New Zealand.
She smashed the national 3-year-old filly mile record in February before bolting away with both feature trots at the Rowe Cup carnival.
That was followed by a five length demolition of her Trotting Stakes rivals at Addington on Easter Saturday.
But perhaps her greatest performance was in defeat, when she came from beyond midfield to nearly win last Thursday's class four trot at Alexandra Park, beating several open class trotters, a first for a New Zealand trotting filly.
"I think she could have won last week too, had she not hung on the bends," said Nairn.
"But at least I have a very good horse to bring back next season."
The injury to Enthusiast could encourage a change of plans for New Zealand's other leading 3-year-old trotters, like Classic Wizzer Dee.
The latter was an easy winner against older horses at Cambridge on Sunday and would be at least the equal of Victoria's best 3-year-old trotters.
His connections are understood to be considering an Australian campaign in light of the injury to Enthusiast.
* The Alexandra Park fields for Friday night have been left open until 11 am today.
Racing: Victorian raid off after injury to trot champ
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