Above: Robbie Laing and his son Aaron with Mazzacano after the horse’s thrilling win in the Crisp Steeple at Sandown on Saturday.By Marc McGowan
LEADING Cranbourne trainer Robbie Laing’s joy at yet another Mazzacano steeplechase triumph was quickly replaced with despair after the star fencer was found to have bowed a tendon in its leg for a second time on Saturday.
Mazzacano romped to his sixth success in as many starts over the jumps when he saluted by six lengths in the Crisp Steeplechase, but soon after Laing knew something was wrong.
“When I came down the step, I was imagining him winning the Grand National Steeple next Saturday, but within a minute you’re thinking about what you can do to get him back to the racecourse, maybe in 12 months’ time,” he said.
It ends any chance of Mazzacano winning the Grand National Steeplechase this weekend, which many felt was a certainty.
“Everyone in racing will agree to that. He had a mortgage on it,” Laing said.
Mazzacano made a winning jumps debut at Pakenham last year before he bowed his tendon for the first time when victorious again over Australia’s longest flat race, over 3360 metres at Warrnambool.
“The off leg was worse than the near front, so he had A-cell surgery and lots of trotting and swimming in the 12 months, which saw him make a comeback in the very same race at Warrnambool,” Laing said.
There was no talk of retiring Mazzacano and Laing has high hopes of the six-year-old gelding returning to the track in 2008.
“He’ll be right. I suppose there is an element of doubt. I haven’t had him scanned yet and that will tell us how long the hole is, how long the tear is and how deep it is,” he said.
“But I was buoyed by the way he was getting around yesterday (Sunday) – he was quite OK.”
Laing, who lists his father and renowned trainer Eddie as his mentor, rates Mazzacano extremely highly and believes it has the potential to be his best jumper.
“He’s a great horse. I knew he went pretty good and then when I watched him win the Australian Steeple (when it won by 20 lengths) it was phenomenal,” he said.
“I’ve never seen a horse do it. I’ve watched steeplechases since the mid-1960s and even a horse like Crisp, he used to win by big margins, but the steeplechasers in those days were absolute walkers.
“This horse rounds up good, former flat gallopers and just whips them.”
With Mazzacano out of contention for the Grand National Steeplechase, Laing is turning to eight-year-old veteran Pantani to take the familiar black, red and white silks to glory after nominating him for the country’s richest steeplechase event.
“He ran third in the Grand National Hurdle on Saturday and we’re going straight to Cranbourne now to see if he can qualify over the fences,” he said.
But Laing is still looking ahead to Mazzacano’s return and making amends for missing out on capping his star jumper’s stellar season, but an overseas raid appears unlikely.
“I don’t like Japan for him. It’s generally run at a quick tempo and on hard ground and he’s a wet tracker,” he said.
“I’ll probably settle for set-weight steeplechasing over long distances. I don’t think he’d be any good overseas.
“No-one would probably entertain the thought of either buying him or flying him over there because he’s a risk with his leg.”
