A warrior on the track, a sook off it, Bondi Shake recovering from nasty abscess

Trainer Al Barnes says we might see Bondi Shake go to a new level when he gets back to the track after a large foot abscess partially burst yesterday.

The extent of the abscess in his off front foot and the fact Bondi Shake has been hanging in his races for some time makes Barnes suspect the horse has been troubled by the infection for several weeks.

Barnes treated Bondi Shake for a suspected abscess a few days before he raced at Albion Park last Friday night and he warmed up perfectly before the race.

You’d never have guessed anything was worrying the horse when he was sent forward from the outside of the gate by Hayden Barnes, unsuccessfully attacked for the front, then sat outside the leader for the rest of the race, missing second by only half a neck.

But the horse could barely put his foot to the ground on returning to the barn and when he had not improved a couple of days later Barnes called the vet, worrying he might have injured a pedal bone.

“The fact it responded to treatment last week told me it had to be an infection, because the treatment wasn’t a painkiller it was a bug killer, but I had to be sure.”

It turned out Bondi Shake was just a complete “sook”, almost comical in his over dramatisation of the pain he was in when hobbling to his box.

Hayden Barnes brings Bondi Shake back to scale. PHOTO: Dan Costello.“The abscess partially burst on Monday morning and the vet didn’t even have to X-ray him,” said Barnes happy it wasn’t anything more sinister.

“It’s a pretty bad abscess and has blown out one side of his foot, a good two inches round. We’re still waiting for the rest to burst.

“There’ll be a big open wound round his hoof and he’ll need a week to 10 days off to recover.

“At least it’s not a serious injury. He’ll be back walking in two to three days. Already he’s a lot brighter today than yesterday.”

Barnes says with an infection of that size, Bondi Shake must have been brewing it for some time.

“It’s possible it’s been niggling at him and worrying him for a while. He already has a good record but he might really start improving and take the next step once it’s out of his system.”

Bondi Shake has rarely been out of the money since arriving in Brisbane, notching three wins, five seconds, two thirds, three fourths and a fifth in 15 starts.

He is raced by Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street along with Bob Best, Merle Gradwell, Pat Gubb, Lance Myocevich, Steve Beckett, Kevin Bell, the Joeraeme syndicate, Margaret Rabbitt, and the Athenry syndicate.