Mighty Logan out of Renwick Farms Dominion Trot

By Michael Guerin

New Zealand’s elite level trotting ranks have suffered their fourth major retirement in just a few months with the career of Mighty Logan now over.

The Canterbury trotter was seen as the best local hope of defending New Zealand’s dented trotting pride from Queensland visitor Gus in the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion at Addington on November 10.

But a knee issue that flared up for the first time in Auckland last summer has worsened and his trainers Team Dunn have decided to take no risks by continuing to race Mighty Logan.

“His knee has got a bit worse and we would never risk racing a horse with a knee issue like that so he has been retired,” says driver John Dunn.

“It is a real shame because he had been racing so well and with no signs of any soreness and we think had he stayed sound he would have won a couple of Group 1s in the next 18 months.

“He had never really had issues but things didn’t go right in Auckland last summer and one knee flared up but we thought it was completely fine.

“But after his last run it started to show some signs of wear and tear again and x-rays suggest the bones in that knee are getting a bit brittle.

“So sadly he won’t race again.”

Mighty Logan had been putting up huge performances starting off big handicaps in his recent races and was seen as the leading New Zealand hope in the two rich trots of New Zealand Cup week.

His forced retirement comes in the same season that our three best trotters, Muscle Mountain, Oscar Bonavena and Bet N Win have all also been retired from racing.

That leaves a huge hole at the head of the New Zealand trotting ranks, with new talent like Higher Power, Meant To Be, Habibti Pat and a few others coming through but they are not yet consistently proven at the highest level.

The Dominion defending champion Queensland trotter Gus is now the TAB’s $2.25 favourite to win the Group 1 again on November 10.

The end of Mighty Logan’s racing career at such an untimely stage comes not long after Team Dunn were forced to spell their wonderful pacer Got The Chocolates for the summer.

He had emerged as potentially New Zealand’s best pacer after a dominant autumn at Alexandra Park but fractured a sesamoid bone that has required an operation.

“He is exercising on the treadmill at the moment and getting time in the paddock and will then have at least a month proper spell and we will x-ray him again and see where he is at,” says Dunn.

“We are very confident he will be back in the New Year but we aren’t making any plans around when yet.”

Meanwhile, Aussie pacing hero Leap To Fame won in his home state of Queensland on Saturday night bolting to a 26m victory against three moderate opponents and is now the $1.70 favourite to win the Go Media New Zealand Trotting Cup also at Addington on November 10.