Mick Price knew long before last weekend that Inundation would not end his career the horse he promised when he set a Moonee Valley track record it took Imperatriz to better, but the master trainer is now adamant he is no longer fit to be a racehorse.
Price and his co-trainer Michael Kent Jnr are working on a life after racing plan with the five-year-old gelding, who ran his final race at Flemington on Saturday.
Inundation was beaten almost 19 lengths when last as a $26 chance in the 1100-metre handicap won by Crosshaven, which Price confirmed would be his final start.
“There’s too much wrong with him,” Price said.
“You saw what happened, it’s embarrassing (for him) and not fair on the horse and my recommendation has been to the owners and the stewards to retire him.”
Inundation’s career statistics read four wins, two second placings and $218,450 in stakes from 11 starts, but his veterinary report card is arguably more extensive.
He has twice undergone throat surgery, suffered cardiac arrythmia and was twice a victim of heat stress.
Beaten into second place as a $1.35 favourite at Kilmore on debut, Inundation bounced back to win a 1000m maiden at Mornington at the same price, strolled home in a Pakenham synthetic BM58 and then won by three lengths at Caulfield at his metropolitan debut.
The first sign of the serious issues that would plague Inundation came when beaten at $1.50 at Caulfield at his next start, but he rebounded from that to win over 1000m at The Valley on Christmas Eve 2022.
He ran 56.84 seconds, which stood as the track record until Imperatriz ran 56.68secs in last year’s Group 2 McEwen Stakes, a mark she again lowered, to 56.47secs, in the Group 1 Moir Stakes.
Inundation was beaten again at long-odds-on the start after his track-record win, when second at Sandown, and failed to place in his final four starts.
