By Adam Hamilton
VETERAN superstar Chicago Bull may have run his last race.
Trainer Gary Hall Sr was forced to scratch the $2.3 million-earner from his planned first-up run at Gloucester Park tonight (Friday).
“We don’t know what it is, but he just wasn’t right in his work (Wednesday morning) and basically pulled-up, so something isn’t right,” he said.
“We’re getting some tests done and we’ll decide where we go from here in a couple of weeks time.
“It’s devastating to be honest, but he was working so well … working the best he ever has, to be honest.
“Just the other day he worked in 2min58sec (2400m) and ran home in 53.5sec … ‘Junior’ (driver Gary Hall Jr) said no horse has worked anything like that at our place before.
“You don’t want any setbacks with them at his age, especially with the big Cups only a couple of months away.”
Hall Sr said a battery of tests would clarify whether Chicago Bull was any chance of making the Fremantle or WA Cups in January or even whether he raced again.
“It’s too early to say, but you’d think he’s up against it for the big Cups. I simply wouldn’t run him unless I thought he was ready and we don’t have a lot of time,” he said.
“The comes the decision whether, if he misses those races, we do bring him back again … give us some time to work all that out.”
Chicago Bull has raced 97 times for 61 wins, 27 placings and $2,330,983 in stakemoney.
“It’s not about the money trying to get him back, it’s his reputation. It’s annoying, sad even, that last campaign could be he his last because he didn’t get a chance to show his best,” Hall Sr said.
“At the time we thought maybe old age was catching up with him, but when we turned him out we found a deep-seated problem with his foot. There’s no chance with that he could’ve run up to his best.
“I love him, he’s the most courageous horse you’d ever train. He wasn’t blessed with ‘Quinny’s’ ability, but was almost as good in the big races.
“It would be really disappointing if the way he raced last campaign was the last chance he got to go to the races.”