Sacred Mountain
Trainer Nicky Chilcott in the stables with Milly who’s been misbehaving. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Cambridge champion mare Sacred Mountain has a black mark next to her name after she misbehaved at Alexandra Park in Auckland on Friday night.
Trainer Nicky Chilcott, driving the five-year-old in the Thames Members Handicap Trot, was thrown from the horse just as the standing start got underway.
She was seen on video clutching the reins as she fell heavily on her back. Todd Mitchell, driving All Cashed Up behind her, was also dumped to the ground and Sacred Mountain – stable name Milly – copped the blame from stipendiary stewards.
They said the horse stood on its mark when the barriers were released and locked wheels with Mitchell’s Australian horse which had been 20m behind and unable to avoid Sacred Mountain.
Neither horse was injured and both drivers were examined by St John Ambulance with Mitchell sustaining some bruising and Chilcott uninjured.
A warning was placed on Sacred Mountain’s barrier manners.
Earlier in the week Chilcott had told The News she had been having sleepless nights about the mare, an eight-time winner and former New Zealand record holder over 2200m for mares from a standing start.
She came back from a spell, trained well, trialled “unreal” and then raced “terrible” at her first start back last month at Cambridge.
A vet was called in as Chilcott considering scratching her from the race but found nothing wrong and the bad-tempered horse travelled north for the race.
“Bloody horses,” was Chilcott’s comment after the race.
Milly (Sacred Mountain) back when she was winning races. Photo: Supplied.
