Trainer cries ‘it’s a tragedy’ as leading horse is deported after costing punters £17million
A LEADING racehorse will be deported and told to race elsewhere – after costing punters £17million.
Global Harmony refused to race in two big races in Hong Kong, including when going into the stalls as a red-hot favourite on one occasion.
Bosses said he had to complete five barrier trials in order to race again – but only after being banned four months for his actions.
Global Harmony, a five-year-old gelding, completed the first of those trials on April 9 without any issues.
But he refused to even trot down to the start ahead of his second on Friday morning.
The horse, who trainer David Hayes described as ‘cunning’, was described as taking ‘only a few strides onto the Happy Valley turf before digging his heels in and leaning on the rail’.
It means he is now barred from racing in Hong Kong.
Global Harmony will go back to Australia with the hope of continuing his career.
A gutted Hayes told the South China Morning Post: “He just stops and leans on the rail, there’s nothing we can do.
“It’s a tragedy because he’s a genuine upper-class horse, but Hong Kong’s loss will be Australia’s gain.
“It’s a totally different country and hopefully we can get his mind in the right place.
“We might train him as a stock horse for a while and just reset him. He still might be bad in Australia but that’s our only hope.”
Global Harmony has prize money earnings of just under £400,000.
He had won two of his past four races before deciding he couldn’t be bothered anymore.
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