Racing: 15 Million reasons to save these legs

Vet Dan Shaw uses an ultrsound machine to check progress. Picture / Alan Gibson

One word leaped into Dan Shaw's head around dawn last Wednesday.

"Xcellent", thought the 41-year-old Matamata vet, who was about to operate on the country's No 1 thoroughbred.

"It's the first thing you think of when you wake up ... There's always added pressure when you are operating on a group-one horse."

Xcellent is the brilliant gelding whose career is threatened by ruptured tendon fibres.

But, thanks to the miracle of stem cell surgery, there is cautious hope that the 3-year-old will compete again in 18 months.

Wednesday's 30-minute operation on Xcellent's front legs was the 14th stem-cell procedure carried out at the practice of Marks, Ewen and Associates since Shaw attended a Sydney conference on the matter in September.

Xcellent is unbeaten in this country, finished third in the Melbourne Cup on a track doctored for Aussie legend Makybe Diva, and should have been competing in races worth about $15 million this season.

Instead, the Mike Moroney-trained horse can be found nonchalantly standing in a stall next to the concrete operating room where Shaw, an anaesthetist, two theatre nurses and back-up vets had attended the $1300 operation. "The really good horses seem to have a better cardio-vascular reserve. They're more relaxed and have that special mark about them," said Shaw, in admiration of his star patient.

Will Xcellent definitely race again? Too early to say, says Shaw. 
 
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Cutting-edge therapy to get Xcellent on track

Veterinarian Dan Shaw is trying to get NZ's No 1 thoroughbred racehorse, Xcellent, back on track with stem cell surgery to repair his tendons. We asked him a few questions.

How have bowed or injured tendons been treated previously?

Rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, inserting implants, injecting various substances. In the early days, they tried to get some heat and repair into the area with a hot iron. All these proved ineffective.

Surely it's easy to accept what's involved in getting a star horse back to fitness?

Well, it's very difficult to confine and walk a horse around for a year. People drop off after two or three months. After six months they go, "The horse is fine". But it won't have the same strength as if you had gone the whole 12 months.

What's the big deal with stem cells?

Over weeks, months, they take the appearance and function of any tissue they are injected into.You can only use it in places where it won't leak out, so tendons are the only practical place in a horse. We took bone marrow from Xcellent's brisket and injected about 5ml into each tendon.

What about that first operation in October?

There is a specific spot you have to hit, guided by ultra sound, and it was tricky to manipulate to start with. With the first few we did, we were nervous about infections ...

Especially from the owners if it goes wrong?

There's a risk with any medical procedure.

What can go wrong?

Controlling stem cells is the hard part. There have been adverse reactions in horses where they've formed the wrong thing like bone in the tendon.

Can you reveal that Xcellent will definitely race again?

It's just too early to tell.

Are there ethical issues?

The problem is the source of stem cells, but there are no ethical problems with horses. The best source is unborn foetuses which have the most active and virulent cells.

Any dissenting voices here ... old codgers shaking their heads and mumbling 'bring back the hot iron'?

There are a lot of different opinions ... Some people are well meaning but misinformed about what does and doesn't work well.

And so, to the dreaded word. Rehab.

The best benefit may be that Xcellent's rehab will go the full period, bandaging, boxing, walking.