Gracias Para Nada put down

Ernie Manning, The West Australian May 30, 2012, 7:04 am





Exciting three-year-old pacer Gracias Para Nada, who early this season scored six straight wins at Gloucester Park and looked a future star for trainer Gary Hall Sr, has been put down after shattering a leg.
Hall said the Mach Three gelding fell at a veterinary clinic when recovering from surgery on Monday to remove hock joint bone chips.
"We're devastated," Hall said. "Gracias Para Nada was emerging from anaesthetic and trying to stand when he suffered catastrophic injuries in an awkward tumble.
"He was a stable favourite and could have been a superstar next season."
Gracias Para Nada was spelled after he broke gait and ran unplaced in last month's WA Derby.
In a double blow to Hall, his last-start winner Smart VC has strained a suspensory ligament. The four-year-old, who has won at eight of 13 starts, had surgery yesterday and will need a long spell.
The trainer's dual Inter Dominion Champion Im Themightyquinn is working well after a let-up and will race at Gloucester Park before a New Zealand campaign.

Yeah heard this news the other day, shocking news.

Geeze, what a kick square in the Jatz Crackers that is. My condolences to the connections. Awful. The buggers, and it seems especially so for the the good ones, will always find ways to hurt themselves.

At least they have a half decent one to come back into work soon. I think it has 'Mighty' in it's name...

The camp will bounce back and buy more good ones from NZ in no time.

It was only 6 weeks ago we were talking about Gracias being the next big thing. His manners let him down in the WA Derby but he had plenty of scope and it would have been great to see him on the bigger track Menangle, against the best of his age. For his connections it will always be a case of never knowing how good he could have been. Commiserations to the owners. Its always sad to lose them before their time.