After the forfeit of Carriacou in the next Grand Steeple-Chase of Paris, another champion was forced to decline the fight. Double title holder, Balloon Doctor will not be at the start of the most beautiful event of the year on the big obstacles of the Butte Mortemart. This 10-year-old champion is not in full possession of his means to achieve the hat-trick, as pointed out by Louisa Carberry, his trainer: “He is one of the best horses in the history of racing in France and we must respect. When we took him back to training, he was physically very well, but when we wanted to intensify his work, we saw that it was going to be complicated. It is cheerful, but we cannot prepare it as desired. In the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, the horses must be at 150% of their capacity, which will not be the case. I assure you, it is not broken and nothing serious. »
A still uncertain future
Moved to tears, the English professional, based in Senonnes (Mayenne) talks about the future of her champion: “He will not be seen again this spring. However, I don’t want to make a hasty decision. Depending on his condition, he will be reviewed at the end of the year or he will be definitively stopped. If this is the case, I can assure you that we will take care of him and that he will be happy until the end of his days with us”, while adding: “I would like to relive the same emotions that he provided us. I will not come across such a horse every day. We know very well that he will not run until he is 20 and that one day or another he will retire. The most important thing is that he is still alive. »
This champion, crowned with nine successes in eighteen races, allowed Louisa Carberry to take a huge step forward in her career, which began in 2014: “Thanks to him, my team has grown. I currently have around forty horses, half of which are very nice three-year-olds. Among them, I pin a lot of hope on Great God. 6 years old, this quality horse is perhaps my second Balloon Doctor. »