Darryn Weatherley. Photo / Trish Dunell
One of the proudest moments of trainer Darryn Weatherley’s career turned into a horror show that left him soaked in blood in front of stunned racing fans at Trentham on Saturday.
Weatherley and his daughter Briar trained Ess Vee Are to win the $80,000 St Leger in the hands of Darryn’s jockey son Sam, but what should have been a special family moment was shattered when Ess Vee Are kicked out at Darryn and severed an artery in his leg in the front parade ring in front of officials and racegoers.
The 4-year-old gelding kicked Weatherley in the inner thigh and while the cut was only 2-3cm wide, it hit an artery and the Matamata trainer lost over two litres of blood.
“They put the winner’s ceremonial cover on him [Ess Vee Are] after the race but it wasn’t sitting right and it was annoying him,” winning jockey Sam Weatherley explained to the Herald.
“Dad went to fix it and he kicked out and got dad flush in the leg and while it hurt him initially, he thought he was okay.
“He went to walk it off but collapsed and had blood all over his suit pants. By the time he got medical attention, which happened pretty quickly, there was like a cup of blood in his shoe because it had run down his leg.”
Weatherley was rushed to Hutt Hospital where the bleeding was stopped but yesterday afternoon was still awaiting an operation to clean and seal the wound area.
“It was pretty scary for everybody, just one of those freakish things which wasn’t really the horse’s fault,” explains Sam.
The accident left a shaken Briar Weatherley to saddle the stable’s other three runners for the day including Maria Farina, who won the $80,000 Lightning Handicap to give the family a welcome distraction before they were able to join Darryn at the hospital.
Unbelievable double
It takes something special to trump a horse winning its first five races capped by a Group 3 victory, but owner Sir Peter Vela found a way on Saturday.
Vela bred and owns Pearl Of Alsace, who maintained her unbeaten record in the Cuddle Stakes at Trentham on Saturday, all five wins coming since she debuted as a 4-year-old on November 14.
But that wasn’t the highlight of his racing weekend as Vela became one the few New Zealanders to share in the ownership of a Golden Slipper winner when Shinzo won the A$5 million glamour race at Rosehill on Saturday.
Vela has had a long association with international breeding operation Coolmore and has for the last four years been part of their Australian colts syndicate, which deals in top-end horses with the hope of finding at least one good enough to become a stallion.
Shinzo has done that in just four starts, providing expat trainer Chris Waller with his first Slipper winner.
“It was a huge, huge thrill and capped a very special day,” said Vela.
Prowess poser
Prowess will need a new rider for the Vinery Stakes in Sydney on Saturday after James McDonald was suspended over the weekend.
McDonald was to have ridden the last-start Bonecrusher Stakes winner but will miss Saturday’s meeting so trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood were fielding phone calls from Australian jockey agents keen to get their riders on the wonderful Kiwi filly.
Prowess arrived in Sydney in good condition and is equal favourite with Pavitra for Saturday’s Group 1.