Top Kiwi galloper Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) was set to start around $5.50 (9-2) for Saturday's G1 Emirates S., but suffered a freak injury in the few minutes before the field was set to load, necessitating his scratching. The start to the race was delayed by 10 minutes while vets attended to Gingernuts. He was diagnosed with a non life-threatening fracture of his near-fore pastern, was vanned off the track and was taken to Werribee for examination. He is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday.
“At least it happened before the race, not during the race,” his jockey Michael Dee told AAP. “He was going to the barriers nice and collected, but something went amiss there. I definitely felt it happn. Straight away I pulled him up and got off as quick as I could.”
In a related incident, one of the owners of Gingernuts collapsed during the running of the Emirates, but was treated on scene and did not require a hospital visit.
Winner of the G1 Rosehill Guineas last March, won the G1 Horlicks Plate at Hastings in September and was penciled in for the G1 BMW Caulfield Cup, but was forced to skip that race when his intended prep in the G1 Livamol Classic was postponed due to weather. He ultimately took part in the rescheduled event Oct. 22, finishing a close second as the 4-5 favourite.
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