The 2011 King George will always be a bitter-sweet race for me
Yes, it provided me with one of the greatest racing days of my life when Kauto Star won the race for the fifth time. And I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the horse, to thank all those who have contacted the stable with their kind cards and messages in the wake of the win.
However, I would be lying if I didn't admit that Master Minded's injury in the race didn't take some shine off the victory.
But it occurred to me that the complete story of Master Minded's day hasn't been fully told or due credit given to the appropriate people. So I aim to put that right here.
Master Minded clearly injured himself during the race, but two things immediately helped minimise the damage at that point; the first is that Daryl was quick to recognise there was a problem and promptly pulled him up and, secondly, Master Minded was wearing protective boots.
Daryl dismounted and walked him back, and we could immediately see that he was lame in front. But, with the adrenalin up, horses at that stage tend not to feel the pain and show the full discomfort - rather like humans, in that respect.
He was taken straight to the vets box at the racecourse and there we obviously saw that he had visible damage in the form of a cut. At that stage we could ascertain that it was a serious cut to the tendon area, without knowing the true extent of the damage.
But it is crucial that you administer immediate care to minimise any infection as soon as possible. Once in the box, he was in the care of Clive Hamlin, who hosed the injured area with a saline solution to flush out all the foreign bodies (mud, grass etc) in the cut.
And then he gave him antibiotics to reduce the risk of further infection and applied a massive supporting bandage, to restrict movement and avoid further injury.
At this stage, the racecourse veterinary ambulance was made available to us and the Newmarket vets were contacted to prepare for surgery. For this to be available on Boxing Day and for Ian Wright, one of the world's leading veterinary surgeons, to be on hand to perform the operation speaks volumes for the level of care that our industry gives its' horses.
As soon as Master Minded arrived in Newmarket, they operated straight away and at 9:30pm we got a call to say that the operation had been "challenging but successful." And when the top man in his field says that an operation has been "challenging", you know how serious the injury was.
But Master Minded came through it, and is now past the worst - but he's by no means out of the woods. As with any recuperation from any operation, human or equine, there can be subsequent complications. But with tendon injuries, time is the healer, as it allows it to knit and regrow.
He is now standing in a big, padded box at Newmarket for the next few weeks, and it helps that he is a very gentle horse and therefore the best of patients. Some horses are far more wired and can panic in these circumstances, and that brings on secondary complications like colic.
So there you have it. It is far too early to talk of what the future holds for Master Minded, but we know his past, and that is that he was one of the best and most consistent Grade 1 winning racehorses in recent years. Two Champion Chases among eight Grade 1 wins, tell you that.
I would like this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the immediate aftermath of the injury, from Daryl and all my staff at Kempton on the day, the racecourse itself, Clive and the veterinary staff at the track, and Ian and all those at Newmarket. Collectively, it is no exaggeration to say that they saved Master Minded's life.
In fact, it is debatable that any of our top sportsman and athletes would have got such world-class medical attention on Boxing Day - and that speaks volumes for our sport, and its' love and commitment to its horses.
