Racing: Injury throws pacer oiut of rick series

By MICHAEL GUERIN

Two of Australasia's richest harness races have been thrown wide open by an injury to champion pacer Jack Cade.

The Mark Purdon-trained gelding pulled up sore after a workout in Auckland yesterday and has been scratched from tomorrow night's A$200,000 ($219,000)Chariots Of Fire in Sydney. And he is almost certain to miss the Interdominions, which start at Addington on March 21 and for which he was the second favourite.

The injury could not have come at a worse time as Jack Cade would have been a $1.50 favourite to win the Chariots after drawing perfectly at barrier two.

He was almost certain to lead early and only bad luck could have beaten him.

Unfortunately for his connections, that bad luck came two days early.

"It looks like he has damaged a bone on his foot or his pastern bone in his near-front leg," said his trainer and co-owner Mark Purdon yesterday.

"The vets will take further x-rays in the next few days but he will be confined to his box for at least a week. "With that in mind I would say even if there is no bone damage he is very unlikely to make it to the Interdominions because of the work he will miss."

Jack Cade was New Zealand's best three-year-old last season before having surgery to fix an unrelated problem with his front fetlocks last April.

He returned from that enforced spell to produce three enormous performances this campaign, causing him to shorten from $15 to $6 second favouritism for the Interdominions.

Before yesterday's disaster, Purdon rated him equal to his stable star Young Rufus, who is still the $2.50 favourite for the series.

"His work on Monday was sensational, about as good as Young Rufus worked before he won the Auckland Cup," said Purdon.

"It is a shock but hopefully it won't be a long-term problem and maybe we can have him back racing in time for the New Zealand Cup in November.

"But all that will be up in the air for a few days until we work out exactly what has gone wrong."

Purdon now faces the unenviable prospect of being stuck in Sydney without a horse.

"We flew over on Tuesday and can't change our tickets to come home so I'll actually end up going to the races to cheer on the other Kiwis in the race on Friday night."

Those other Kiwis are All Hart and Oaxaca Lass, who will now be among the favourites in Australasia's richest four-year-old pacing race. Bookmakers have reacted to Jack Cade's injury by shortening a few key Interdominion runners, with leading Australian hope Double Identity moving into $7 second favouritism yesterday.

* Purdon could gain some compensation at Cambridge tonight where Born Again Christian, who he part-owns, will start a hot favourite in the $50,000 feature race.