Queensland star Buffering could race on after being cleared of injury

A NIGHTMARISH 24 hours came to an end for Brisbane trainer Robert Heathcote yesterday with news Queensland star Buffering could race on after being cleared of any serious injuries.

Buffering has been cleared of serious injury and could race on.

A NIGHTMARISH 24 hours came to an end for Brisbane trainer Robert Heathcote yesterday with news Queensland star Buffering could race on after being cleared of any serious injuries.

Heathcote woke in Hong Kong on Sunday morning to the news his brother Jeff had lost his battle with cancer and then feared the worse when Buffering pulled up sore in his off fore fetlock after finishing a distant last in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin just hours later.

Heathcote originally feared he had “lost his two best mates over the weekend” but confirmed Buffering may now race on after a positive vet report yesterday.

“The vets were over the moon with him (yesterday morning) and they couldn’t believe his recovery,” Heathcote said.

“There is no filling in the joint and he didn’t require any X-rays and trotted up sound.

“They think he possibly just jarred up a bit and it wasn’t the track but just his age.”

Buffering has entered quarantine and will return to Australia in two weeks for a well-earned break.

Heathcote said the eight-year-old could now bid to claim a fourth Moir Stakes win in Melbourne in September but only if the star sprinter proves he has “the desire and soundness’’ to race on.

Heathcote knows Buffering is now the people’s horse and won’t hesitate to pull the plug on his glittering career if he shows any signs he has had enough.

“I’m still not going to definitively say he will race on but I’m not going to say he is retired,” Heathcote said yesterday.

“We will just let time be the best healer and he will tell us where we head after quarantine and a break.

“But I’m more confident now (that he could race on) and I gain my confidence from the confidence of the vets (yesterday).

“But I won’t be running him for the sake of running him and I love the quote of John Hawkes (yesterday) when they thought long and hard about going to England with Chautauqua

“John said to me ‘it’s not about the money and it is in the best interest of the horse not to go’ and full credit to them.”

Heathcote admits the last few days have been emotionally draining as he paid tribute to his brother yesterday.

“It’s been a brief illness and he was only 66,” Heathcote said.

“I’m just so bloody pleased that I went down to Tasmania for three days to see him before I came over here and I was going to go down after I got come home but he couldn’t hang on.

“We are a close-knit family and he is the first of 10 siblings to be gone.

“He was a really good guy and will be sorely missed but I’m a realist and you have to move on with life and that’s what he would have wanted.

“I was just hoping he could hold on and watch the race and he loved Buffering.”