It was impossible for Tasmanian trainer Brendan McShane to hide his disappointment when confirming his stable star would not race this season.
McShane was having Hot Dipped, the winner of eight of her 13 starts, re-shod for her scheduled voyage to Melbourne to compete at Saturday's Flemington meeting when he noticed something unusual on one of her forelegs.
"We were re-shoeing here at about five this morning before she was to head off to Devonport to go on the boat over and the sun just caught a warm patch on her tendon," McShane said.
"I can't explain it but sometimes the sun exposes a shiny spot, which I guess is where there is more blood flow or something going on, and I thought gee that doesn't look right.
"I grabbed it and I immediately thought it doesn't feel right. We shaved the area and there was a small bow in the tendon."
McShane immediately began treating Hot Dipped in a deep cold bath to take the heat out of the area but the trainer says it will be at least six months before the triple stakes winner can even resume light work.
Hot Dipped's last-start second to the handy Moonlight's Choice at Caulfield underlined McShane's disappointment as he believes the daughter of Written Tycoon's best is ahead of her.
"We've got a horse that has got a small lesion in the tendon. It will heal but it won't be the same as a brand new tendon but once the pain goes away it will be a weak spot in the tendon," McShane said.
"It will be an unknown whether it will go again but she's a young horse and we've still got plenty of time with her.
"She has already done her job on the track as far as I'm concerned, she's done more than enough and she showed with her last run in Melbourne the other day that she was up to standard there."
McShane said if Hot Dipped returned to racing, it would not be until next season.
