"But hopefully, it is not going to be a serious long-term thing."
Cowgirls N Indians stamped herself one of the most exciting young pacing fillies produced in New Zealand when she overcame sitting parked and not handling the last bend smoothly to run down Australia's best filly La Machane on Sunday.
The performance was especially brave as the leg was obviously annoying her during the race and almost certainly caused her home-bend wobble.
The daughter of Real Desire will miss the fillies features at Alexandra Park's December carnival with her most likely target next year being the New Zealand Oaks and the Harness Jewels.
That means Small has two of New Zealand racing's hottest females on ice at his stables, with champion mare De Lovely also recovering from injury.
Herself an Australasian Breeders Crown winner, De Lovely missed the Harness Jewels this year because of injury but is now back aqua-jogging.
"She will tell us when she is ready to start track work again but she definitely isn't a New Zealand Cup contender and I'd say she won't race until after Christmas."Well-performed trotter Leighton Hest will miss major spring races after surgery on a tendon.
"He will be out for another six months," Colin Campbell, his Dunedin part-owner and breeder, said.
Leighton Hest had filling in a hind leg after he finished seventh in the Dominion Handicap at Addington last November. The leg was scanned and a minute hole detected in the tendon.
"The tendon was split and he had shock wave therapy," Campbell said.
Now a 7-year-old, Leighton Hest has won nine of his 30 starts. The Dream Vacation-Whitney Hest gelding, trained by Phil Williamson, won seven times from nine starts at four. His wins included the Harness Jewels at Ashburton and the Four-Year-Old Trotters Championship.
Stablemate Springbank Richard is close to having a trial and he may resume in the Ordeal Cup at Addington on September 16.
The winner of 19 races, including the 2009 Dominion Handicap and 2007 Victoria Trotting Derby, Springbank Richard, won the Banks Peninsula Cup last October at his second start after a break.
He was runner-up to Dr Hook and Let Me Thru in Interdominion heats in Auckland. Springbank Sam and Duke Of The Moment are due back in work with Williamson in a fortnight.
Springbank Sam won three races last season and ran Paramount Geegee to half a head in the Northern Trotting Derby. He was also runner-up to Paramount Geegee in the NZ Trotting Derby and Harness Jewels.
Duke Of The Moment was a 2-year-old winner last season.
-Additional reporting: Tayler Strong
