Peter Harnden’s superstar stayer Salacres Smasher has been ruled out of the forthcoming St Leger after fracturing a hock during a preparation race at Perry Barr on Saturday evening. Smasher who is jointly owned by Peter and Lee Pitman has taken the staying scene by storm in recent times with the notable scalp of Space Jet claimed on his previous run at the track despite leaving many lengths on the circuit.
A devastated Harnden said “It’s gutting but thankfully it could have been a lot worse and Gabriel Freiria (vet) is confident he will return to the track. We will give him plenty of time and would imagine given the time of year in particular it’ll be 2024 before we bring him back”.
