Tim Butt will be hoping all is well with Stig considering he owns a major share in the trotter.
The final chapter in Stig’s miracle career could feature yet another twist.
The veteran trotting champ looked in all sorts of trouble as he hobbled around the Melton stabling area on Saturday night, unable to put his near-front leg on the ground.
After a month of trotting roughly in Australia’s best races and then galloping in the A$250,000 Great Southern Stars Final, trainer Paul Nairn feared Stig may have broken down for the last time.
But an extensive veterinary examination yesterday found no fractures and while they are some times undetectable, hope has returned to the great horse’s camp.
“We couldn’t find a stress fracture, which doesn’t mean there isn’t one there but my vet doesn’t think so,” said Nairn.
“She thinks he might simply have bruised the bone in his foot, which is what he did before missing the Rowe Cup last season.
“He is walking fine now so we really just have to press on with him and see what happens.”
Those who saw Stig on Saturday would struggle to believe his recovery, but then again, this is a horse who was retired for three years then came back to trot two national records.
Nairn thinks Stig’s persistent soreness issues may have been worsened by the harder tracks in Australia and is looking forward to getting him back to Auckland next month.
“He loves the track up there because it is usually really well conditioned,” explains Nairn.
“And I’d love to give him one more shot at the Rowe Cup.”
The Rowe meeting starts on April 26 with a $100,000 trot followed by the A$150,000 Rowe Cup on May 3.
Stig would be the early favourite for both, with arch rival I Can Doosit out injured and Great Southern Star winner Vulcan not as potent at Alexandra Park.
“We will be doing our best to get there and I can’t see any reason he won’t make it at this stage, but you never know with him.”
Vulcan will remarkably try to win this third group one in a week in the $80,000 NZ Trotting Champs at Addington on Saturday, where he meets just seven rivals.
Even lighter on numbers is the $100,000 Easter Cup, which has just seven starters.
Betting on that group one will be dominated by Terror To Love, who faces just a 10m handicap, meaning the dual New Zealand Cup winner he is giving horses assessed as just five-race winners only a few lengths start.
That should see him start one of the shortest priced favourites in Easter Cup history.
Meanwhile, Victorian superstar trotter Blitzthemcalder has arrived in Christchurch safe and sound to start his New Zealand campaign.
The brilliant Melton winner from last Saturday flew on the same flight as Stig and Vulcan and is stabled with Mark Purdon, where trainer Ross Payne's brother Grant works.
Blitzthemcalder's first New Zealand start will be in the NZ Trotting Derby on Friday week, with Chris Alford a chance to make the trip to drive the flashy trotter.
