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Champion galloper Infantry was all poised for his much-anticipated racing comeback in the $200,000 Group 3 Moonbeam Vase (1600m) this Sunday, but was pulled out at the eleventh hour following fresh concerns over his racing fitness.
Trainer Lee Freedman made the decision after the reigning Singapore Horse of the Year came back “not looking right” at a routine trot-up on Tuesday.
The Australian handler, who has been steadily gearing the Tavistock six-year-old up for his first start under him since he took over from trainer Alwin Tan in June, preferred to err on the side of caution, and now awaits further tests to ascertain the extent of the problem, if any.
“Infantry has had a setback and first thing first, we had to scratch him from the Moonbeam Vase as a first course of action,” said a disappointed Freedman.
“The problem cropped up yesterday. We’ve been handling a few little feet issues with him, nothing we could not manage, but at a trot-up yesterday, something wasn’t right.
“He seemed to have a strain to his left front. We took the conservative course by not running him this Sunday.
“We don’t know how serious it is yet, but (Singapore Turf Club veterinary surgeon) Dr Bronte Forbes is looking after him, and is so far happy with him.
“We’ll know more after more tests are done on him. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”
This is the second time that Infantry has been forced out of a feature race through injury. Last year, the nine-time winner and dual Group 1 winner sustained a deep gash to his near hind fetlock at his win in the Group 1 Panasonic Kranji Mile (1600m), then the first Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown series. After running out of time to get him fit again in the second Leg, the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1800m), connections had to withdraw him.
Infantry has yet to win since the Kranji Mile. He did recover from his hind leg cut in time to run in last year’s third Leg, the Group 1 Dester Singapore Gold Cup (2200m), running fifth to Gilt Complex through sheer bravery alone.
He has had four more starts since, all this year, showing mixed form, but never badly beaten. The Thai-owned gelding last ran in the revamped Invitational Group 1 Kranji Mile, which was to be his farewell start for Tan on May 26. He finished a creditable fifth to Southern Legend.
The mood in the Freedman camp had been fairly upbeat leading up to the Moonbeam Vase, more so when Infantry was bidding for back-to-back wins in the Group 3 event, which he won as its previous version when last run over 1800m and sponsored by JBBA last year, but it wasn’t to be.
Champion jockey Vlad Duric, who partnered Infantry at his last two runs, is as a result left without a ride in the Moonbeam Vase, but Freedman still has Singapore Guineas winner Mr Clint (Daniel Moor) and Mr Spielberg (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) in the line-up.