Mare scores comeback win after broken leg

Hind leg fractures are almost always career-ending injuries in harness racing – but not for durable country Victorian mare, Marjorie Jean (Blissfull Hall).

Nearly 12 months to the day after her cannon bone fracture diagnosis, Marjorie Jean scored her 15^th career victory – and trainer Jason Ainsworth is convinced it won’t be her last.

Marjorie Jean won at her second start back for reinswoman Ada Massa in the Opus Group Pace at Melton (Dec 22).

“It’s a pretty big effort to come back from a broken leg, but her legs are perfect now.  If you didn’t know what had happened, you certainly couldn’t tell now,” Ainsworth said.

Ainsworth said Marjorie Jean had simply pulled up sore after jog work in December 2021.

“She’d been racing okay, and had run third the week before, but she was just working at home when she pulled up lame.  We had her x-rayed and they found a crack through the back of her cannon bone,” Ainsworth said.

“The consensus was she wasn’t going to race again, that they could either pin it or we could confine her to a box for three months, then, all going well, she’d be able to go off to become a broodmare.”

Ainsworth said his partner Natasha Raven had done a superb job with Marjorie Jean’s management during her rehabilitation.

“She had three months in the box with the leg bandaged and being kept quiet, then another six months in the paddock. A couple of times the owner Steve West had dropped a hint that that he’d like her to have another go and eventually he just came out and asked us if we’d give her another try,” Ainsworth said.

“I wasn’t too sure, and she did pretty well out in the paddock. She came back looking like a broodmare, so the amount of work we had ahead of us was pretty daunting! But being an eight-year-old mare, I guessed it was now or never for her, so we decided to give her another try.

“She’s been amazing because to be honest I think she’s really come back a little bit better now than when she went out.  Her attitude to her work is better and she’s covering the ground faultlessly,” he said.

“She’s still on a pretty low rating, so the way she is going I think she should really be able to pick up another two or three races before she goes to the breeding barn.”

Jason and Natasha have been based on their own 75-acre property at Stawell for almost two years and are enjoying a “sweet spot” of success headlined by promising mare Story To Tell (Roll With Joe), who broke through for her maiden metropolitan win at Bendigo on Saturday night (Jan 7).

It was the lightly-raced mare’s fifth victory, and followed a stellar third to Dougs Babe and Tough Tilly in the rich Vicbred Super Series Final (4yo mares) at her previous outing.  The mare has been a model of consistency, failing to weigh in only four times in her career.

“Her owner Shannon Hoffmann bought her out of the Nutrien mixed sales as a three year old, mainly with breeding in mind for her,” Ainsworth said.

“We now have five horses here of Shannon’s, but she was the first he sent to us to have a go with. She’s really come on nicely and has been a terrific little earner.”

Ainsworth is assisted by Natasha and his brother Toby in preparing a growing team of around 28 on a 1000-metre hill track on the property, and he said the team was looking forward to the season ahead.

“We’ve got a lot of young ones here that are due to race in the next three to six months, and we think we have some nice ones among them,” he said.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink