[NoChanceToDance]

Really bad news, i'm afraid

From RP.......
by Nick Robson
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CONNECTIONS of Manduro have confirmed the five-year-old will not race again after sustaining an injury in the Prix Foy at Longchamp on Sunday.

Unbeaten in his last five races, Andre Fabre's charge has won at the highest level overa mile and 10 furlongs and was being prepared for a crack at next month's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

"It's desperately sad and we are all devastated. He's had a very comfortable night," said Paul Harley, racing manager to owner Baron Georg Von Ullman.

"Unfortunately, 10 minutes after the race he became lame and he was taken to see the specialists.

"It does appear not to be life-threatening but it does appear to be the end of his racing career," he told At The Races.

"We have no idea where the injury was sustained but unfortunately these things happen and they always seem to happen to the good ones," continued Harley.
"He's always been a very sound horse. Early in his three-year-old career he had a few little niggly problems but nothing serious.

"The Baron is absolutely gutted. He hasn't made it to the office this morning. He's absolutely devastated and cannot put it into words.

"He is concerned about the horse's welfare and he is happy that the horse's life is not in any danger."

"Hecame into his own this year and I would put that down to maturity," added Harley.

"Obviously Mr Fabre has done a fantastic job with him, especially this year.

"He taught the horse how to relax and he has been more grown up than ever before.

"He goes off to Sheikh Mohammed's Dalham Hall Stud now and I'm sure he'll be as great a success as a stallion as he was as a racehorse."

Manduro beat Mandesha into second and Princess Zahra Aga Khan's filly has reportedly come out the race fine.

The Aga Khan's racing manager Georges Rimaud said: "As far as I know Mandesha has come out of the race in good shape, I would have heard if that was not the case.

"Of course we would have liked her to win, but it was just a prep race and the trainer (Alain de Royer-Dupre) was quite happy with the run.

"Alain was quite pleased and the Arc remains a target for her. Even though the Foy is a Group 2, essentially it was just a trial for her.

"Alain told me before the race that she would not be 100% fit and this willhave helped to get her ready for the Arc.

"When Christophe (Soumillon) got off her he suggested that she may need a pair of cheekpieces to help her concentrate a bit more, but that is a decision that will be left purely up to Alain.

"He may have feltthat she wasn't giving everything or got the impression that she wasn't going fast enough, but the other horse was very good."

Rimaud added he felt the injury to Manduro may have been caused by the fast ground in Paris.

He said: "It is very unfortunate that Manduro is now injured - a big blow. But the ground was very fast and I'm not sure how the horses will come out of racing yesterday - I expect the horses who had hard races will suffer from it. It was very, very fast."

Teddy Grimthorpe, who represents Prince Khalid Abdullah, the owner of Arc possibility Zambezi Sun, also sympathised with Manduro's connections.

"It's a real shame and a great blow to all those concerned with the horse," he said.

Classic-winning trainer Luca Cumani was also quick to pass his condolences on to connections of Manduro.

"It is rather sad. It is always sad when a horse as good as that is injured, especially when he can not go and perform in a race like the Arc. I'm sorry for his connections," said Cumani.

"You are always just a millimetre away from injury with any horse that you train and it's just a way of life unfortunately with athletes the world over."