Trainer John Lambe confirmed the worst following a trip by Affane Party to the vet this morning. The East Anglian Derby winner sustained a career ending injury in the semi finals of the William Hill All England Cup.
John Lambe’s dog flew from boxes but failed to take the first bend in his usual style and was clearly struggling by the time he reached the second turn. He eventually finish last.
Lambe said: “The stopper bone has come away and that is the end of his racing career. I am convinced he did it before he reached the bend because I have never seen him trap like that ever, but he didn’t pull away as well as I would have expected. Typical really of the really fast dogs.
“He will be in the cast for a fortnight and go back to the owner. He will then consider the options as to where to go to stud in Ireland. We already have three straws from him and expect to have some more drawn before he leaves. We have already had some enquiries for straws from Ireland.”
“But listen, we’ve had a great run, with Yarmouth as the highlight and last week showing exactly how good he is. His UK record is 23 wins from 30 races.”
Party’s heat was duly won by Holdem Zidane with Droopys Verve showing a reminder of his class in the second semi final. Willie Thomson’s Falcon Bay produced an even quicker sectional that Affane Party on his way to the third semi.”
