Brutal blow for Tony Bloom as Brighton owner’s millionaire sprinter horse is ruled OUT for rest of the season

SportHorse Racing BRIGHTON owner Tony Bloom has been dealt a brutal blow after his millionaire sprinter horse was ruled OUT of the rest of the season. Royal Ascot winner Venetian Sun looked all set to contend the top six-furlong races for the remainder of the campaign after her Commonwealth Cup success. Commonwealth Cup superstar Venetian Sun has sadly been ruled out for the rest of the season Credit: Reuters But sadly a tendon issue – ‘unusual’ for a horse at this stage in their career on the Flat – means she needs time to recover. Trainer Karl Burke confirmed all plans are now on hold for the three-year-old filly, who has in excess of £1million in career earnings from her nine-race career. He said: “It’s a big shame and unfortunately it happens. “It’s a long way from being a career- or life-threatening injury, but obviously is going to take time and it’s very disappointing. “We had more or less decided to swerve Deauville anyway because the ground was very fast out there last weekend with no sign of any rain and the French not watering like they used to do. “It’s just one of those things, we have a feeling she may have initiated it at Newmarket during the July Cup but she came back from there with a nasty little cut and she had been on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and we think that may have masked it to a degree. “It’s basically a strain to the tendon, it happens a lot with jumping horses – it’s unusual really at this stage in a sprinter’s life, but can happen. “It’s a time thing now and she will have the next six or seven months on the easy list and then be reassessed from there. Most read in Horse Racing “The little bit of work she has done the last few days has just aggravated it and we’ve had the vets in this morning and they weren’t 100 per cent happy with a little bit of heat in the leg and that is what it turns out to be. “The plan before today was if she finished the season in good shape she would stay in training and that may still be the plan, but that is a discussion for later on.” Venetian Sun was the 4-1 market leader for September’s Sprint Cup at Haydock. Donnacha O’Brien’s Comanche Brave, who relegated Venetian Sun to second in the July Cup on the pair’s most recent run, is the new 5-1 favourite ahead of Japanese raider Satono Reve. FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here. Comment now