An emotional Saab Hasan has called time on the career of his veteran eight-year-old sprinter Sirius Suspect after a tendon injury was discovered.
Although not a serious injury, Hasan and his family decided to put the welfare of the dual Group 3 winner first.
“He’s going to retire and live out the rest of his days with us,” Hasan said.
“We just knew something wasn’t right with him, but it took the vets a while to find exactly what it was.
“He’s just got a little minor strain on his suspensory ligament, it’s so minor that if we gave him three or four months out, he’d come back and race on no problem.
“But we just felt the horse owes us nothing and we owe him everything, we don’t have anything to gain by pressing ahead with him, by the time he’s back he’d be a nine-year-old.
“I’m not going to lie, last night obviously a little bit of hay fever set in again! He’s probably the best sprinter I’ve trained, he’s given us a lot of great memories.”
Sirius Suspect won the 2021 G3 Standish handicap (1200m) and the 2022 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m), both at Flemington, and became renowned for his success down the straight, with five of his 10 career wins coming at Headquarters.
In his 41-start career he earned an impressive $865,000 for Hasan and connections.
“He’s going to be retired up here on our farm, we’ll put him out into a 10-acre paddock where he’ll be the nanny and ensure he gets all the attention he deserves,” Hasan said.
While Sirius Suspect has been retired, his half-sister Sirius Statement is set to debut at Bendigo on Sunday after winning a Geelong trial.
“As one journey closes, another one begins,” Hasan said.
Credits:
Article: Tim Yeatman (Racing.com)
Photo: Racing Photos
