They came in their droves, fuelled with giddy expectation, hoping to see a potential superstar write the latest chapter in his rapidly-exciting career.
Alas, they were to leave in totally different spirits, the mood around Cheltenham almost funereal. Sir Gino, ante-post favourite for the Champion Hurdle, was always going to be the horse that made headlines on Trials Day but nobody expected them to be in the manner that has materialised.
Rather than returning to Nicky Henderson’s yard in Lambourn, Sir Gino – a lithe, athletic bay with film star looks and a talent to make him a household name – was transported in a horse ambulance to Three Counties Equine Hospital in Tewkesbury to assess whether his life could be saved.
What a dreadful calamity. Sir Gino had been sent off at odds of 2/5 in the Unibet International Hurdle to extend his unblemished record and all was going to plan, as he sauntered around at the back of the four-runner field.
He’d skipping over the obstacles with alacrity, his jockey Nico de Boinville’s biggest task was trying to harness the power Sir Gino, owned by Joe and Marie Donnelly, was desperate to show. Then after they negotiated the third-last flight without issue, the sky fell in.
Nico de Boinville riding Sir Gino before Saturday’s race at the Cheltenham Trials
The New Lion won the race but little attention was paid to it after Sir Gino’s injury
Sir Gino had taken four strides and, suddenly, his right leg went limp; de Boinville immediately pulled his partner up but everyone knew this was bad. In a flash, those green, foreboding screens were erected around him. Little attention was being paid to The New Lion, who won the race.
If there was a shred of comfort to be taken, it was the fact racecourse vets were able to quickly administer pain relief and stabilise him before getting him on to transport but there can be no disguising that his future, never mind his racing career, is in the balance.
Though the six-year-old has had one major skirmish before, when an infection in his lower leg required urgent treatment last February, this is something different. It was also a painful reminder of how cruel this sport can be.
‘It is his right hind,’ Henderson mournfully confirmed. ‘It’s not a lower leg fracture, it’s something with his pelvis. We’ll just see where we are but it’s not good. Everyone is fighting. Pelvic injuries can be little ones and big ones. We’ve just got to keep everything crossed.’
Henderson was emotional but he wasn’t the only one. The love of the horse brought more than 25,000 to Cheltenham yesterday and the exploits of Jordans Cross and Maestro Conti had seen the day start with cheers to raise the roof. The silence that followed, regrettably, was even louder.
