Fairy King Prawn is unlikely to race again this season following an operation yesterday on his injured off-foreleg. Dr Keith Watkins, the Jockey Club's chief vet, said the dual Horse of the Year is expected to need 'many months' of recuperation before he is fit to resume his racing career.
Yesterday's operation was performed at the Jockey Club's equine hospital by Dr Robert Lewis, an American surgeon brought to Hong Kong by trainer Ivan Allan for the procedure, assisted by the Club's veterinary staff.
Watkins said Fairy King Prawn had recovered well from the operation to assist in rectifying the injuries to the gelding's suspensory ligament and the inside splint bone of his off-foreleg which forced him to miss last month's Hong Kong Mile.
'We removed an old fractured splint bone, like a loose bone chip, from his off-foreleg, although the splint is not the injury that has kept Fairy King Prawn out of racing,' Watkins said.
'With a splint, the main thing is whatever else is involved and Fairy King Prawn has the damage to his suspensory ligament as well. That takes a long time to heal. With the splint removed, which has been done successfully, that may help him to recover or it might not. Either way, the horse certainly will not be any worse off for having the fractured splint bone removed.'
Philip Lau Sak-hong, Fairy King Prawn's owner, added: 'The vet said the operation was successful but we will have to give the horse time. It is too early to say how soon he might come back.'
Lau, though, will see his Derby hope Jeune King Prawn make his seasonal reappearance at Sha Tin today four days after his young Danehill colt Halo King Prawn opened his account in impressive fashion on his third Hong Kong start since joining Allan.
