| Haunui Farm announced the loss of Group One Australian Guineas winner Ferlax this weekend after sustaining a paddock injury on Thursday afternoon. "We are quite devastated," said Haunui Farm's Managing Director, Mark Chitty. "We were privileged to have had the opportunity to stand Ferlax on behalf of his owner, Jonathan Munz, and have worked closely with him and his Bloodstock Manager Dean Hawthorne to give Ferlax the best possible opportunity at stud. For something like this to happen before he's even had a yearling go through the ring, let alone a runner on the track, is pretty tough. "I'd like to thank everyone involved with giving their advice in regard to the injury Ferlax sustained. We certainly explored all of the options and there are vets all around the world who have been providing their thoughts and opinions over the past few days which we very much appreciate. In the end, the difficult decision was taken to euthanize Ferlax yesterday morning. "I'd like to personally thank Jonathan and Dean for giving Haunui the opportunity to stand Ferlax and there's no doubt in my mind that from the quality of the two crops we have on the ground and the one left to come, we will see some very good racehorses in the years ahead. Jonathan put his full support behind the New Zealand industry by choosing to stand Ferlax here and to lose him at this early stage is certainly a blow not only to Haunui, but to our entire breeding industry as we can ill afford to lose promising young stallions like this." |