New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year title-holder Fix has suffered a setback and won’t be seen in action again until early next year.
The daughter of Iffraaj recently underwent an operation for the removal of a bone chip in a fetlock joint and is currently being given box rest.
“She was in work and coming along well when she developed some filling in her fetlock,” said co-trainer Ken Kelso. “We had the leg x-rayed and a very tiny bone chip showed up.
“It has been removed and she’ll continue to have box rest for a while then have a short spell. We’re going to give her three months out and look at having her back to the races in the autumn.”
Though the setback has ruled out any spring and summer plans, the extended time away from the racetrack could benefit Fix in the long run. While she did only have eight starts last season, she faced the demands of racing in black-type events on all bar one occasion.
Fix made a winning three-year-old debut at Taupo 12 months ago and began her bid on the NZ Bloodstock Filly of the Year series with a fourth in the Gr. 3 Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings. She was then third to Sacred Falls and Rollout The Carpet in the Gr. 3 James and Annie Sarten Memorial at Te Rapa before finishing third in the Gr. 1 NZ Bloodstock 1000 Guineas at Riccarton.
She took control of the series with a hat-trick of Group Two wins, taking the Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic, the NZ Bloodstock Royal Stakes and the Cambridge Stud Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic. She stepped away from the series for her last race as a three-year-old when contesting the Gr. 1 TV3 New Zealand Derby and produced a top performance for second to another filly, Habibi.
Kelso is looking forward to Fix’s return to racing later in the season. “She’d had a couple of run-ups and we were really pleased with her,” he said. “Fortunately this setback isn’t serious but we want to give her the time to get over it.”
– The Informant
