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Rock On Ruby |
| Friday 27th November 2015 | |
Injury Forces Rock on Ruby into Retirement
Trainer Harry Fry has been dealt a hammer blow after a tendon injury forced former champion hurdler Rock On Ruby into a premature retirement.
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The 10-year-old showed he retained plenty of his old dash at Ascot on November 21 when winning the Coral Hurdle but, in doing so, he suffered a career-ending injury.
A statement posted on www.harryfryracing.com read: "It is with great sadness we would like to inform you that our superstar hurdler and horse of a lifetime Rock On Ruby has been retired."
The statement continued: "There were quite a few tears shed by our staff in the tack room this morning when I told them the news. No wonder, because he is a much loved character and a bit of an institution here at Seaborough.
"Ruby suffered a tendon injury after his win in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.
"If he was a younger horse we might have considered treating the injury and bringing him back a year or more later."
Rock On Ruby beat Overturn in the 2012 Champion Hurdle, when officially trained by Paul Nicholls, but much of the credit for the win went to Fry, who looked after the satellite yard from which he was trained at the time.
A thoroughly consistent performer, he finished out of the first four only once in his 27-race career when eighth in the 2014 Arkle.
Fry said: "Ruby is 10 now and his owners have generously given him to my wife Ciara who adores him, and has always looked after him at home.
"She will ensure that he remains the elder statesman of the yard for the rest of his life.
"He will have a break for the rest of this season and have a good summer holiday before coming back into work in the autumn where he will continue to enjoy leading the string which he has done for the past six years.
"It is quite fitting that, like a true champion, he bows out at the top of his game.
"Ruby has taken us and his aptly-named owners, 'The Festival Goers', on an incredible journey over the past few years.
"He truly is one in a million as his form suggests with 12 wins, eight seconds, five thirds, one fourth place and just one unplaced effort in 27 starts.
"What a phenomenal athlete."
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www.racingbetter.co.uk/race/cheltenham/.../international_hurdle.html
Stan James Champion Hurdle 2012 - Analysis
Mar 13, 2012 ... Paul Nicholls' name may be on the training licence, but much of the credit for Rock On Ruby's Stan James Champion Hurdle victory rests with ...
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Mar 16, 2011 ... Rock On Ruby had to settle for second with the third-placed So Young not helped by a mistake at the final flight. Morris said: “It was a very, very ...
Purple Bay wins Elite Hurdle 2014 - Wincanton
Nov 8, 2014 ... 1 Purple Bay 16/1 2 Bertimont 14/1 3 Rock On Ruby 4/1 9 ran Distances: 4l, ¾l, nk. TIME 3m 34.10s (slow by 3.10s). Purple Bay wins the Elite ...
