CHAMPION miler Variety Club may retire to stud sooner than anticipated if the feature races originally earmarked for him don’t fit in with his full comeback schedule following a recent injury.

Derek Brugman, the racing manager for Variety Club’s owners, Ingrid and Markus Jooste, says that the horse had recovered from a leg problem but that no decisions had been made about his future.

Brugman explained: “Variety Club had a minor leg injury. Some of the reports that came out have been a little misconstrued. There was a bit of swelling but he was never lame. We didn’t want to take any risks as he is too valuable for that.

“Variety Club is in good shape. The vets are confident that there won’t be any hassles about racing him again. However it meant that we put aside our plans for the rest of this year, which was to raced run him in the Prix de la Foret and the Breeders’ Cup. Our choices now are basically retiring him to stud or racing him for another year.

“We will look at timing and races and, if they don’t fit in with our plans, then he will go to stud.”

– Original interview carried on www.sportingpost.co.za
-Photo by Kenneth Chan, first published in South China Morning Post.