Master Minded injury revealed

Paul Nicholls has revealed the full extent of the treatment Master Minded received after sustaining a potentially career-threatening injury in the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton on St Stephen's Day.

Daryl Jacob pulled the dual Queen Mother Champion Chase winner up in the race won by stablemate Kauto Star.

Writing in his exclusive column at www.betfair.com/paulnicholls, the champion trainer said: "He was taken straight to the vets box at the racecourse and there we obviously saw that he had visible damage in the form of a cut. At that stage we could ascertain that it was a serious cut to the tendon area, without knowing the true extent of the damage.

"But it is crucial that you administer immediate care to minimise any infection as soon as possible. Once in the box, he was in the care of Clive Hamlin, who hosed the injured area with a saline solution to flush out all the foreign bodies (mud, grass etc) in the cut.

"And then he gave him antibiotics to reduce the risk of further infection and applied a massive supporting bandage, to restrict movement and avoid further injury.

"At this stage, the racecourse veterinary ambulance was made available to us and the Newmarket vets were contacted to prepare for surgery. For this to be available on Boxing Day and for Ian Wright, one of the world's leading veterinary surgeons, to be on hand to perform the operation speaks volumes for the level of care that our industry gives its' horses.

"As soon as Master Minded arrived in Newmarket, they operated straight away and at 9:30pm we got a call to say that the operation had been "challenging but successful." And when the top man in his field says that an operation has been "challenging", you know how serious the injury was.

"But Master Minded came through it, and is now past the worst - but he's by no means out of the woods. As with any recuperation from any operation, human or equine, there can be subsequent complications. But with tendon injuries, time is the healer, as it allows it to knit and regrow.

"He is now standing in a big, padded box at Newmarket for the next few weeks, and it helps that he is a very gentle horse and therefore the best of patients."

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