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INCA OUT FOR SEASON
from Sportinglife.Brave Inca, winner of the 2006 Champion Hurdle, has been ruled out of the upcoming National Hunt season with a tendon injury.
However, trainer Colm Murphy hopes the nine-year-old, successful in nine Grade One races to date, will make a full recovery to resume his racing career in the future.
"The results of a scan showed there was some damage to his near-fore tendon," explained the County Wexford-based handler.
"It’s something that he should make a 100% recovery from but it rules him out for the year.
"He’ll have a controlled programme at the moment, going on the horse walker and so forth. It will be a case of just restricting him this year. At that level he would have to be 100% to be competitive.
"He’s incredible – he’s something else. He owes no-one anything and we owe him everything.
"Hindsight’s a wonderful thing and if I had the time again I wouldn’t have run him at Punchestown in April. It had been such a long, hard season.
"I have no doubt in my mind he will get three miles and I still believe he can be very competitive at two," Murphy told At The Races.
"I think we just went to the well one too many times."
Yes his battles with Hrady Uestace and Amcs Ojy were legendary.
Are you drunk David.Seriously, it’s sad to hear the news of Brave Inca, one of the bravest horses I have seen. He was below his brilliant best last season, and with a season off through injury, it will be a miracle if he can come back and compete at the level he is used too. I wish him well though.
Mike
I fear the answer to Clive’s question is Yes.
He’ll be 10, rising 11, before he can come back and there’s no way he’d be competitive at that age in Group 1 hurdle races, whatever the distance.
If he were mine he’d be retired now. He’s won his owners nearly £1m over 5 seasons, running in 30 hurdle races and giving his all each time. Isn’t that enough?
If he doesn’t get back to 100% fitness he wont run again. You can be assured of that. I can’t see him running in the Champ Hurdle again….but if he gets fit the Stayers may be an option next year.
I think they should just retire him now, that leg will take a long time to heal and then there is getting his fitness back! and he will be older by then too, he was brilliant, think they should just decide on what’s better for the horse. He has certainly earned himself a comfy life for the future, don’t know if any you will agree
I think they should just retire him now, that leg will take a long time to heal and then there is getting his fitness back! and he will be older by then too, he was brilliant, think they should just decide on what’s better for the horse. He has certainly earned himself a comfy life for the future, don’t know if any you will agree
I agree totally – it’s almost certain that he will never recapture the peak of his form, and I am almost certain the trainer said "he owes us nothing, but we owe him everything". Well if that’s the case, then you owe it to him to retire him.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see him back on the track winning races again. But what I wouldn’t like to see is him back on the track finishing down the field in lesser races than he has already won.
Mike
IMO the short answer is yes. A great shame as he’s one of my favourites, a really game competitor. He’ll be 11 by the time his next tilt at Cheltenham or Punchestown comes around- hardly the best age for a 2m hurdler- so I think it would probably be for the best to retire him now.
If he comes back he’ll no doubt be aimed at the stayers. Hardy proved its possible to be competitive and to be honest they should have run him over further last year.
I dont think we are getting the full story.
If he’s going on a horsewalker there cant be a lot wrong with him tendon wise.It depends on how serious it is. A horse can do light walking and swimming, but personally I think even the slightest tendon injury can knock the horses performance in the future. Doesn’t mean to say he wont race again but I don’t think he will be winning top class races again especially at his age. I suppose it’s all timing, if his leg heals quickly with good care then who knows, but if it is rushed you can end up at square one again.
Well, in my opinion, if a horse isnt fit to canter he shouldnt be on a horsewalker – that is rushing it.
RP states 5% damage, so I have every confidence he’ll make a sound return if hes chucked out in a field for a year.The cheekster,
You may well be right but current veterinary advice is that after firing and the bandages have been removed controlled exercise on a horsewalker is required befor asking Doctor Grass to do his stuff.
I have done it both ways and cannot report a definite difference.
I doubt myself that Brave Inca will come back to anywhere near his best at the age of 11.
The horse seemed in decline the season gone, probably due to age and the effects of a series of hard races.
Honourable retirement should surely be announced forthwith if connections have the animal’s best intersts at heart.
Are you drunk David.
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