By David Nagel
He was one of the stars of the spring racing carnival but the immediate future of Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise is in serious doubt after scans revealed damage to his front suspensory ligaments.
Trained by Peter Moody at Pakenham, Incentivise is currently spelling in Queensland under the watchful eye of his breeder, part-owner, and former trainer Steve Tregea.
Incentivise pulled up lame after running a gallant second to Verry Elleegant in this year’s Melbourne Cup, but was cleared of any long-term injuries and appeared destined for a bright future.
But recent scans in Queensland have revealed the significance of the suspensory ligament damage and further stress on the cannon bone.
Incentivise will have further scans in February before a decision is made on his future racing career.
Incentivise was one of the revelations of Australian racing in 2021, progressing from a maiden victory in country Queensland to win three Group 1’s in Melbourne …including the Caulfield Cup.
Incentivise gave Moody – the former trainer of champion mare Black Caviar – his first win in one of the grand slam races of the Australian turf…the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper.
Incentivise is the early favourite for the first three of those races in 2022.
