Extreme setback ruins TAB Eureka dream

AUSTRALIA’S most exciting Extreme Sea has been hit by injury and will miss the world’s richest harness race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka.

In a cruel blow for veteran Goulburn trainer David Hewitt, Extreme Sea didn’t feel right after track work on Thursday morning and a subsequent scan revealed a suspensory ligament injury.

Extreme Sea was $3 equal favourite with Chariots Of Fire winner Frankie Ferocious for the second running of the TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 7.

The setback came just days before he was headed to Brisbane for the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park on July 13.

“He’s not lame at all and the leg looks good, you wouldn’t know there’s anything wrong but there is,” Hewitt said.

“It’s so disappointing, he’s never had an issue at all and you wonder where these things come from.

“You have average horses who race for years and years without an issue, but things like this seem to happen to the good ones.”

Extreme Sea has raced just 10 times for seven wins, but grabbed headlines in recent months with three successive Menangle in brilliant times and by an aggregate of over 76 metres.

At his latest run, the four-year-old won the $100,000 Group 2 TAB Regional final by 25.4 metres on May 25. He was scratched from Menangle last night.

“I’m still getting my head around it all. They said he needs three months in a box, but we’ll give him plenty of time and hope we can get him back as good as he is,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt has already been remarkably patient with Extreme Sea, who has freakish talent, but has taken time to mature as a racehorse.

What makes it worse for Hewitt is that the other outstanding pacer trained, Red Sea, was cut down by injury in the prime of his career.

Rea Sea was considered the next big thing in the sport when he won 21 of his 24 starts in the mid to late 1990s.

Extreme Sea’s injury is also a setback to leviathan owner Wayne Loader, who had taken him in his slot for the TAB Eureka.

With Extreme Sea out, Frankie Ferocious is a commanding TAB Eureka favourite.

The Jason Grimson-trained four-year-old, who finished fourth in the Miracle Mile on March 9, will resume from a break at Albion Park on Saturday night.

He then heads to the Rising Sun a week later.

* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.

PHOTOS: Club Menangle

"We were devastated when David rang with news on Friday night" 

"Julie and I feel so gutted for the horse and for David, Maree, Jess and all the family" 

"The good news is they still have a horse and fingers crossed he can make a successful return to the track next year" 

"As for the Western Jewel slot I guess it's back to square one but we know we won't find another Extreme Sea"

Wayne Loader - Western Jewel