Trainer Anton Golino has reflected on the 2017 Breeders Crown Series and 2019 Great Southern Star triumphs as standout performances from star trotting mare Dance Craze, who has been retired due to injury.
Golino, who works in partnership with Jack MacKinnon, said the daughter of Muscle Hill had pulled up sore following her eye-catching fifth placing in the E B Cochran Trotters Cup at Ballarat and that scans had shown issues in a front leg.
And while he doesn’t believe the injury is necessarily one that forces retirement, a decision has still been made to call time on her career.
“There is no hole (in the suspensory), but she owes us nothing,” Golino said.
“It’s not really a bad injury. Any other horse you could probably give her a little break, come back and be fine. But she’s seven now, made half a million and she’s done her job.
“I wouldn’t do it to her, put her in a situation where she could get hurt or something.
“She’s been good to us. She’s so well bred so she’ll hopefully go onto the next stage of her life and hopefully one of her babies can be a good one.”
Golino was quick to pay tribute to the mare, who holds a stunning racetrack record of 24 wins from 50 starts for more than $550,000 in prizemoney.
Those victories include three at Group 1 level – the Breeders Crown Series 3YO Trotting Fillies Final (2017), Great Southern Star (2019) and Australian Trotting Grand Prix (2020). In that most recent elite level success, Dance Craze did the almost-impossible and ran down champion Andy Gath-trained gelding Tornado Valley to score by three-and-a-half metres.
“She’s got just such a great attitude and is always willing to please,” Golino said.
“I’ve had probably horses more talented than her, but not many as willing and as genuine as her.
“She had a great attitude and that’s what made her better than the others, I guess.”
Dance Craze was out of the superstar mare La Coocaracha, who won 23 of 36 trips to the races and more than $400,000 in stakes.
