Rondinella pictured creating a big impression when cruising home second-up at Tauranga, sent a scare through her camp yesterday.
Smart Cambridge filly Rondinella is likely to continue on the path toward the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai NZ Oaks at Trentham in March despite a major scare at the same track yesterday.
On the strength of an impressive second-up win at Tauranga early this month, Rondinella was backed into second favourite behind the eventual winner Dijou Bleu in the Gr.3 Metroclad-Terracade Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), but she shocked her connections and supporters when dropping out and being eased right down at the back of the field by rider Vinnie Colgan.
Stewards ordered a veterinary inspection after the race and it was established she had suffered from cardiac arrhythmia.
“She clearly had a decent heart fibrillation,” said trainer Roger James today. “She was still like it when she left the course, but we had her vetted at six o’clock this morning at Otaki and she was clear which is good news.
“She’ll be ECGed (electrocardiographed) in the morning and we’ll clear any permanent (heart) damage. All going well we’ll probably press on with the plan to come here for the Sir Tristram Classic. She’ll be ECGed again before that.”
James has had some limited previous experience with horses suffering from heart fibrillation.
“I haven’t had many do it, but I’ve looked back and I think every horse I’ve had do it I thought I had at lifetime peak fitness going into the race and they’ve fibrillated,” he said.
“There is documentation to say that when you’ve got every star aligned that they’re more vulnerable to do it.
“I can’t really say it about his filly as I don’t know her that well. But all the others that fibrillated, I’ve had them as absolute peak and I’m drawing on the fact none of them did it again so I’m hoping that’s the case with this filly as well.”
Rondinella has had just three starts for James, but she has shown enough to be rated very highly by the astute trainer.
He has made the bold statement that she is the best he has had since the multiple Group One winner Silent Achiever,
“I think she’s top drawer. She’s a filly that I’ve always held in the highest of regard,” he said after she followed her eye catching debut third at Ellerslie with her classy win at Tauranga.
