Star pacer on comeback trail after Horse Ambulance response
Cold Chisel was one of the country’s most exciting young pacers when his career was almost derailed at Ashburton last year, until a specialised horse ambulance played a pivotal role in getting him back on track.
The striking young colt announced himself as a serious talent early on, winning his first three outings including Gr.2 Young Guns Cardigan Bay Stakes and the Listed NZB Standardbred Harness Million as a juvenile. At three, the son of Always B Miki picked up where he left off, winning the Gr.2 Alabar 3YO Classic and later, his crowning success, the Gr.1 Northern Derby.
His trainers, Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan, tailored the latter half of that season towards the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby, and the newly-introduced $500,000 Velocity Slot Race during Cup Week, but those plans were soon curtailed after the accomplished colt sustained an injury on October 28.
Lining up in the Gr.2 Ashburton Flying Stakes, Cold Chisel was right amongst the key contenders, so it was clear that something was amiss when he faded to finish eighth, while star pacer Merlin, also out of the Purdon/Phelan stable, triumphed in the feature.
Cold Chisel pulled up noticeably lame after the race and received treatment by the on-course vet, before the horse ambulance was deployed to stabilise and transport the colt to Canterbury Equine Clinic.
Phelan had been driving another stable representative, Mach Shard, and hadn’t realised the extremities of Cold Chisel’s injury until he returned to the stabling block.
“I was in the race with another horse, so I didn’t quite know the extent of what had happened until I got back off the track,” Phelan said. “We won the race with Merlin, but after seeing what had happened, all attention turned to this horse.
“He was quite lame coming off the track, even with the adrenaline of racing, so by the time he’d cooled off and been ungeared, he was as lame as he could be. That’s when they brought the horse ambulance over, put the hydraulics down, and off he went.
“It’s never nice seeing an injury happen to any horse, and for us, and Dean (Shannon, owner), horse safety and welfare comes first, so anything that he needed, it would be provided to him.
“Having the ambulance there certainly helped to no end to how he’s recovered, with the turnaround and how quickly he was able to be transported to the clinic.”
Awaiting the colt at Canterbury Equine Clinic was Dr Hamish Ranken, who provided an insight into Cold Chisel’s injury, and what could’ve occurred had he not been stabilised and transported in such an efficient manner.
“He sustained a non-displaced spiral fracture of the cannon, and because he was able to be transported in the ambulance on the day, the leg was able to be stabilised,” Ranken said. “If this wasn’t the case, the leg would’ve blown apart and become a displaced fracture, which is extremely difficult to repair in a hind limb.
“He was able to be managed in a hospital setting straight away, where we were able to perform the right diagnostics to determine which fracture configuration we had. The fracture was able to heal without surgery, and without getting any worse.
“He stayed at the clinic for quite a long period of time and then went out to a spelling farm for a couple of months. His recovery went very well, and when we knew the fracture was stabilised enough, he was able to be transported home (to Auckland).”
Cold Chisel ‘Jimmy’ leaving Canterbury Equine to an agistment property for rehab
Also the owner of Merlin, Dean Shannon experienced the extreme highs and lows of racing within a matter of minutes at Ashburton that day, having watched his two stars compete from Australia.
“I wasn’t there on the day, but I saw the race, and on face value, he (Cold Chisel) ran well below expectation, but it was very obvious soon after that he had an injury,” Shannon said. “He’s such a brave horse, I can’t believe he went through the race having sustained the injury, which we think happened down the back straight.
“It was very tough to see, but the way he was treated and looked after was a credit to everyone on track at the time. Everything was actioned very quickly, the injury was contained, and I think that was a very important part of why we’ve had a positive prognosis.”
Shannon expressed his gratitude towards the entirety of the Horse Ambulance staff, including Laurence Hanrahan, who was operating the ambulance at Ashburton.
“I believe Laurence Hanrahan was driving the horse ambulance at the time, and I bought horses off him many years ago, so the horse was in good hands,” he said.
“There are wonderful people involved in the horse ambulance, they are very passionate, and you often see fundraisers at various events. From an owner’s perspective, it’s comforting to know there are experienced people on the ground, ready to help if required.
“Everyone is always willing to pitch in, the Kiwis are fabulous in that regard.”
Laurence Hanrahan, the Canterbury horse ambulance operator
Ranken echoed these sentiments, noting the importance of specialised equipment and knowledgeable staff in operating this first-of-its-kind service.
“It’s fantastic, it’s one of the best initiatives of the NZEVA (New Zealand Equine Veterinarians Association), and the practices and individuals that support and sponsor it,” Ranken said. “It is unique in New Zealand, I don’t know that it has been developed to the same extent anywhere else in the world, so we are leaders from a welfare point of view.
“The facilities of the ambulance are very well designed, particularly because the ambulance has to facilitate for horses with a range of injuries. It has been adapted to cover all possible injuries, not just one particular injury.
“It is also very important to acknowledge the expertise of the people operating the ambulance, with the likes of Laurence Hanrahan and Ricky Donnelly here in the South Island. Their horsemanship and knowledge of how everything works and how best to transport each horse is incredible.”
To the delight of the Phelan, Purdon, Shannon, and the remainder of his supporters, Cold Chisel returned to full training at their Clevedon base a couple of months ago, with the intention of trialling through the winter.
“He’s had a long time jogging, and he’s back fast-working now,” Phelan said. “He’s a stallion and was certainly a bit vocal when he came back, but he’s settled and quietened down now.
“He’s definitely bulked up and he’s looking a picture, he’s great to do anything with and that has helped in his recovery.
“All going well, he’ll be at the trials at the end of this month (July).”
When visiting New Zealand recently, Shannon took the first opportunity to visit the now four-year-old.
“I saw the horse on Monday (7th of July) with my wife, they gave him a workup for us and he looks fantastic, he’s pacing really well and loving his work,” he said.
“He looks pretty keen to get back into it I think.”
There is a sense of unfinished business for Cold Chisel in the South Island and Phelan said there a possibility of returning for Cup Week later in the year, but that would simply be a bonus after seeing the horse make a successful recovery.
“It’s fantastic to have him back in the stable, the staff love him to bits,” Phelan said. “Being as sound as he can be, it means a lot to everyone here.
“Hopefully we can get back down to Christchurch with him this year, but we won’t be pushing him, it’ll be a matter of him telling us he’s ready. If not, he can stay up at home and race around here for a while, and we’ll take it from there.
“We thank all of the people that got him on this path.”
Cold Chisel’s story is a reflection of the essential work conducted by the New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust throughout the year, both in the racing and broader equestrian communities. As the new season commences in August, so will this year’s Here for the Horse Winter Appeal, a fundraising campaign with a range of initiatives and experiences included.
Addington Raceway will stage the ‘Here for the Horse Charity Race Day’ on the 3rd of August, while Alexandra Park, Cambridge, Winton and Ruakaka will show their support during race days throughout the month. On August 26, the Here for the Horse auction of live experiences will go live on gavelhouse.com, including tickets and hospitality for this year’s running of the A$6 million Cox Plate in Melbourne.
To show your support for the Here for the Horse Winter Appeal, head to a race day or check out the auction, or donations are welcomed directly through the Givealittle page below: