Magical stayer Houdini Boy has pulled off some miraculous ‘escapes’. But a return to racing would be his greatest!
Houdini Boy underwent surgery to repair a fractured right hock on Monday and his trainer Kel Greenough provided the following post-op report: “He had two screws inserted into his hock and he’s most unlikely to race again. It’s not good for us, but that’s life. You’ve just got to move on.”
However, as the adage goes, ‘where there’s hope there’s life’. Thus, Greenough is not totally ruling out a possible comeback.
“There was no drama with the surgery… He’ll go through the rehabilitation phase and we’ll get a bit of an idea in around eight weeks,” he said. “We could try getting him back to racing, but we won’t be taking any risks. All the signs would have to be extremely good to even contemplate a comeback.”
Greenough added there have already been overtures for Houdini Boy as a stud dog.
“That’ll be the likely road he’ll take, and wherever he may go to stud he’ll always be a pet. He’ll have a good life and that’s the most important thing to us.”
Affectionately known as “Jack”, after American actor, comedian and musician Jack Black, Houdini Boy was revered for his fanatical chasing trait.
“We won’t be taking any risks. All the signs would have to be extremely good to even contemplate a comeback.”
“He was such a hard chaser… He did it from day one and there’s not many that come from behind and chase like him,” Greenough said.
And not surprisingly, Greenough says Houdini Boy is a “full-on dog that loves life” at home.
“This has been a setback, but he’ll carry on like business as usual until it heals.”
A dual G1 winner, Houdini Boy had that rare ability to even captivate the non-racing public.
And if he were to make a return racing… Well, wouldn’t that be ‘magical’!
WATCH: Houdini Boy ‘escapes’ with the G1 Zoom Top (725m) at The Meadows on February 13.
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