3 minute read

Injury has forced the premature retirement of leading mare Valley Girl, who will be sent to an Australian-based stallion in the spring.

Co-trainer Donna Logan ordered a raft of veterinary tests following the four-year-old’s failure in Saturday’s Group 1 Makfi Challenge Stakes at Hastings with connections worst fears subsequently realised.

“She hung very badly in the Makfi and she’s never done that in her life,” she said.

“We’ve found she’s got a stress fracture of the radial bone, which is the bone between the knee and the shoulder.

“Obviously that will heal, but we’re not prepared to risk her so she has been retired.”

Valley Girl won four of her 11 starts, including last season’s defeat of the older horses in the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes and a placing in the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic.

Following her fifth placing in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby, she crossed the Tasman and finished runner-up in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes and sixth in the Group 1 Australian Oaks.

Valley Girl looked set for a lucrative spring campaign following her impressive open handicap sprint victory when resuming on her home track earlier this month.

“It’s a great shame as she was untapped and after that Ruakaka win we thought gee, we’ve got some ammunition this year,” said Logan, who trained Valley Girl with Chris Gibbs.

“However, at least she is okay and she’ll go on to breed some beautiful babies. She was very lightly-raced so she’s got plenty to give to her foals.”

By Mastercraftsman out of the Group Three-winning Bianconi mare Leigh Valley, Valley Girl is owned by her Cambridge breeders, the Hawkins family of Wentwood Grange.

“Donna and Chris have done a great job with her and we can’t thank them enough,” stud manager Dean Hawkins said.

“At least she’s safe and now we’re looking forward to her breeding career. She’ll go to a stallion in Australia, but which stallion that is we don’t know yet.”