A thorough attention to detail, taken in a cool, measured fashion, is the only way to make any meaningful assessment of a racehorse’s current situation.
Take the case of Hi Barbie, the $2.60 favourite with betting sites who was eased down and out to cross the line over seventeen lengths behind the winner in the $300,000, Group 3, Bruce McLachlan Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday, and it is thus easy to see why Tony Gollan sits in the top tier of his profession.
A post-race vet exam revealed cardiac arrythmia (a problem with the rate of the rhythm of the heartbeat) giving an immediate explanation as to the filly’s poor race result … and it here where the important attention to detail from the Gollan camp kicks in.
“Everything was back to normal on Saturday night … still normal on Sunday … and the ECG was good on Monday morning,” confirmed Gollan.
“She’ll be going out to Embrook for a week, like the normal routine.
‘She’ll come back in next week. We’ll give her a gallop and another ECG after it. We’ll do that on the Tuesday or Wednesday next week.”
But it is not all about the physical side of things.
“We’ll also see how her temperament and demeanour is to see is she is stressed from the incident,” added Gollan.
“We are fifty-fifty about whether we go forward (to the Magic Millions). We put the horse first. I just want to make sure she is fine and then we’ll let the rest look after itself.
‘We have got plenty of time. She has already qualified for the race.” (The Magic Millions 2YO Classic).
“It’s just depends on whether we feel we have the horse to go there … or, otherwise, whether we are happy to give her a break and bring her back in the Winter.”
Hi Barbie has only had two career starts. She arrived on the scene with a smashing debut win when taking out the $200 000 Listed Phelan Ready Two-year-Old Plate over 1100m on a heavy 10 track, that result justifying Gollan’s judgement in putting her into Black Type company in her first career start.
It also pushed her to favourite for the Bruce McLachlan, a race which became one of ’what might have been’ scenarios had cardiac arrythmia not come into play.
There is no denying Hi Barbie’s already exposed potential.
For now though, as always, management of the horse’s well-being is the most important detail … and in that regard, Hi Barbie is clearly in good hands.
