Top Knight out of S'pore Triple Crown Series
Just a couple of weeks ago, when winning his seventh race from 10 starts, everything looked right on track for Top Knight's bid in the Singapore Triple Crown Series.
Trainer Michael Clements had pencilled the first leg of the series, the Group 1 Raffles Cup over 1,600m on Sept 22, as the Falcon Racing No. 7 Racing Stable-owned galloper's next target.
But a recent detection of a slight issue with the off-foreleg has unfortunately derailed those grand plans.
"We weren't entirely happy with one of his front legs. It came up after his last race," said Clements.
"There was a small amount of inflammation and heat to the right leg. He's a very sound horse, and he wasn't lame, but we still decided to get it scanned.
"Unfortunately, the scans showed some disruption of fibre within the suspensory ligament. Without getting too technical, it's a minor sprain that will require a six-week break.
"We could have pushed on with him, but because of his young age and his future potential, after discussing with the owners, we decided the best thing to do was to back him off."
Top Knight is an odds-on favourite for the Champion Three-Year-Old award, following his wins in the final two legs of the series, including the Group 1 Singapore Guineas over 1,600m.
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