Chautauqua.
© Bradley Photos
By Equestrian Life
Champion sprinter Chautauqua may race again despite the fact he failed to jump from the barriers for the seventh time in a row in a trial between races at Rosehill last Saturday.
Although he rocketed home to finish just centimetres from the winner, he missed the start by ten lengths — meaning his future as a racehorse was once again uncertain.
On Monday it was reported that following the Rosehill trial, stewards were set to apply a ban — effectively ending the horse’s career. However, the ban came with a clause that enables the owners to make further submissions about Chautauqua’s future, meaning the ban could still be overturned.
The horse’s owners opted to submit a final submission for the stewards to consider.
In the meantime, owner Rupert Legh took to social media to see what Chautauqua’s devoted fans thought. Racing.com’s various polls showed that the verdict was split.
Yesterday (Tuesday) the news came through that Racing NSW stewards has granted Chautauqua a reprieve (or at least, granted the owners a reprieve) by deciding not to enforce the preliminary ban on the horse following the submissions they received on Tuesday.
The stewards have revoked the ban on the following conditions:
1. Chautauqua is not to barrier trial until after 22 September 2018, so as to allow sufficient time for a re-education process, having regard to the evidence of the (thoroughbred) behaviourist.
2. Chautauqua must barrier trial on two consecutive occasions to the satisfaction of the stewards, before being permitted to race again.
3. Should Chautauqua not show improvement in commencing from the barriers as compared to its last barrier trial on 25 August 2018 and/or does not trial to the satisfaction of the Stewards again, the gelding’s nominations for all barrier trials and race meetings will be refused under AR50.
Racing NSW’s chief steward Marc van Gestel has since explained the decision to allow the horse to continue trialling, saying it was felt that a horse behaviourist (who has been working with Chautauqua for the last month) could turn around the grey’s fortunes. Since the unnamed behaviourist had started working with the horse, he had improved.
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