Niconero broke down after the race?
Poor guy. I didn't know.
Hope he's okay... tone of the piece suggests he will be anyway (I hope).
http://www.racingandsports.com.au/ra...asp?NID=150222
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So Sight Winner can come for the BC Mile now? Oooh, here's hoping he comes (and Brett too! ).
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2009 Champions Mile – Post Race Reaction
1st – Brett Prebble – Sight Winner – "It's a nice surprise but John seemed quietly confident in the paddock beforehand so that got my confidence up a little. We had a game plan to sit outside Egyptian Ra. He's finished second to him before and at the top of straight I went past him and I knew he'd give me more because he can stay 1800m and 2000m. He fought hard, he loved the ground and his action felt really comfortable on it."
1st - John Size – Sight Winner – "Two factors to explain the win. The track condition was extremely important and not letting the leader get it too easy as he often does was vital. We now have to have a look at the Yasuda Kinen as we get an automatic invite."
2nd – Felix Coetzee – Egyptian Ra – "He couldn't get away from them in that ground, but he still ran a hell of a race. He kept on running, kept on trying all the way to the line."
3rd – Weichong Marwing – Dao Dao – "They maybe didn't go hard enough for him early on, that could have cost us a little, but he ran really well, and it was a good effort."
4th – Christophe Soumillon - Good Ba Ba – "He didn't like the ground, and in the circumstances he's run well in conditions that did not suit him."
5th – Darren Beadman – Collection – "They were a bit nippy for him over the mile and he had too much to do when they sprinted."
6th – Kevin Shea – Imbongi – "I thought they would go quicker and he didn't pick up in the straight."
7th – Frankie Dettori – Alexandros – "It wasn't the ground with this horse. He goes on anything and today he just wasn't good enough."
8th – Douglas Whyte – More Bountiful – "He was never comfortable on this track. It's getting loose and he just couldn't get a grip."
9th – Eric Saint-Martin – Armada – "I'll blame the ground. That's a convenient excuse."
10th – Zac Purton – Fellowship – "He's a horse you have to wait with and it didn't suit us being where we were."
11th – Olivier Doleuze – Unique Jewellery – "It was the ground...it was just no good for him."
Audemars Piguet QEII Cup 2009 – Post Race Reaction
1st – Ryan Moore – Presvis – "The race went perfectly for me. I wasn't worried being last early as the pace was OK in this ground. He quickened up when I asked him, and I was never worried he wouldn't win."
2nd – Darren Beadman – Viva Pataca – "He's run his usual honest race. I thought he'd win half way up the straight, but then along came Presvis, and that was that."
3rd – Christophe Soumillon – Thumbs Up – "He's run another good race, and I was very pleased with him."
4th – Olivier Doleuze – Chinchon – "My horse ran very well, but I got knocked around by Darren (Beadman), and that definitely didn't help us. We'd have been closer otherwise."
5th – Eric Saint-Martin – Packing Winner – "No complaints – he's run a very good race."
6th – Kevin Shea – Archipenko – "I don't know. Perhaps it was the ground. I was really happy for most of the trip and he was travelling like he had in this race. He didn't have the same kick late on but I don't want to make any excuses."
7th – Thomas Yeung – Viva Macau – "He was still in front 300 metres out, and I had hopes that he might hang on for a place, but then all the others arrived."
8th – Craig Williams – Niconero – "I eased him out of the race because he felt that he'd broken down in the near foreleg."
8th – David Hayes – Niconero – "It's confirmed that he's bowed a tendon in that leg and it's probably career ending. I can't believe it because he's been such a good horse to us and incredibly I'd say he's the soundest horse I've ever trained."
9th – Felix Coetzee – Danesis – "He just wasn't good enough today."
10th – Brett Prebble – Bullish Cash – "He's really an 1800m horse and finding the right trip for him here is difficult so we are really stuck between a rock and a hard place."
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Viva Macau is entered on Friday.....
