Harmanaire drops dead

Press, 1 September 1982, Page 27

Harmanaire drops dead

PA Hastings The former top Hastings horse, Harmanaire, dropped dead after training yesterday.

Harmanaire (Blarney Kiss—Merryaire). a six-year-old stallion, had not raced since his four-year-old days, but was to race again in the next fortnight or so.

Harmanaire stumbled and dropped dead just as his rider, David Withington, was easing him down after a 1200 m gallop with Sartangai on the Hastings plough. “His back legs went and then we were down.” said Withington.

“He fell toward the rail and I rolled underneath."

A Hastings veterinarian. Mr Ted Callaghan, said the horse had suffered a heart attack.

Withington told the horse’s owner-trainer, Mr Jim Nightingale, of Hastings, the horse had not felt good in the gallop. ’

“He was never going well," said Withington. “Diane (Diane Sergeant, the rider of Sartangai) and I were just talking about the way Harmanaire had run when down he went.”

Withington, who leaves for the Gold Coast of Australia today where he will ride permanently, was at work yesterday specially to ride Harmanaire.

Jim Nightingale lost Harmanaire’s younger full brother, Aranaire, of a twisted bowel about six weeks ago.

Harmanaire, the winner of the Ormond Memorial as a three-year-old and placed in the Hawke's Bay Cup and New Zealand St Leger the same season, was operated on for a hairline crack in a knee at Massey last winter. He featured in a pedigree mix-up about the time of his operation.