Heartbreak for O'Brien as Cat's career ends

Racing News: One Cool Cat's enigmatic racing career has come to an end after the double Group One winner sustained a serious leg injury at Aidan O'Brien's stables in Ballydoyle yesterday morning.

The colt, who cost $3.1 million as a yearling and had been a possible starter in Sunday's Prix de l'Abbaye, fractured his near-hind leg when undertaking his last serious gallop before the Longchamp sprint.

One Cool Cat was taken to veterinary hospital where X-rays showed the injury was a clean break and the horse should be fine for a future stud career.

The news brings to an end a racing career that occasionally rose to brilliance but more often resulted in frustration for his trainer Aidan O'Brien.

One Cool Cat started favourite for this year's 2,000 Guineas but beat only one home and a bang on the head when being loaded into the stalls was blamed for a subsequent irregular heartbeat.

O'Brien brought him back to win the Group Three Phoenix Sprint at the Curragh but two runs in Group One sprints failed to result in another victory.

O'Brien said yesterday: "It is highly unfortunate that his career has come to an end as I had always hoped one day he would display on the racecourse the brilliance he showed us at home."

A Coolmore Stud statement added: "One Cool Cat was operated on in Troytown Hospital this afternoon and the prognosis is very good. It has not been decided if he will stand at stud in Ashford Stud in Kentucky or at Coolmore in Ireland."

Dermot Weld plans today to shelve out the 60,000 required to supplement Grey Swallow into Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but the Curragh trainer won't be confined to challenging for the big race in Paris.

Stable jockey Pat Smullen will not be at the Curragh at the weekend and instead will be at Longchamp on Saturday as well where Weld is planning a major challenge.

His American Derby winner Simple Exchange is being targeted at the Group Two Prix Dollar over nine furlongs while the filly Queen Astrid will run in the Group Two Prix de Royallieu over almost 13 furlongs.

There is also a 50-50 chance that Orpington will take his chance in another Group Two, the Prix de Chaudenay, over a mile and seven furlongs.

"There are only seven left in that race and I would say it's 50-50 that Orpington will take his chance even though he will have to improve a lot," Weld's son, Mark, said yesterday.

"We are very hopeful of a big run from Queen Astrid but she would like a little moisture in the ground. Simple Exchange wouldn't and he is having his first race since finishing fourth in the Secretariat Stakes but he is in good form and should go well," he added.

Smullen's Longchamp commitments mean he misses out on Saturday's CL Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh where a strong cross-channel challenge could be met by the Moyglare Stud Stakes runner-up Pictavia.

Smullen will be at Thurles this afternoon however where a combination of good ground and the mile trip for the opening auction maiden should be ideal for Mermaid Island.

But the jockey to follow through the rest of the card looks to the champion-elect, Jamie Spencer.

He is on Lord Nelson in the mile maiden and that colt should be happier on better going while High Country's 91-rating makes a convincing argument in the two-mile race.

Aidan O'Brien runs two in the mile and a half maiden but Spencer has elected to ride Because, a sister to Yesterday and Quarter Moon, who was running on in at Tralee when fourth on her debut.