Owners count cost after tragic loss

| Tue 20 December, 2011

story from Jay Rooney - The West Australian

Valuable filly Eight Till Late has been put down after suffering a severe leg injury last week.

The brilliant winner of last month's Group 3 Champion Fillies Stakes (1600m), prepared by Shane Edwards, suffered a pedal bone injury when spelling.

Eight Till Late was not far off returning to work ahead of a campaign aimed at the Group 3 WA Oaks (2400m) in April.

"It's unbelievable," devastated managing owner Kim Loxton said. "You spend a lot of time trying to get good horses and to actually get one then for that to happen is shocking. I'm at a total loss myself. It's just one of those things.

"She was looking good for us to have as a broodmare and she had so much untapped ability. She was very valuable but we'll just have to box on and find another one."

Eight Till Late, by Lonhro out of Redoute's Choice mare Future Choice, cost $45,000 at the 2009 Magic Millions National weanling sale. She had huge broodmare potential with the Champion Fillies win and her impeccable breeding. Future Choice is a half-sister to Stakes winners Suavity and Akarana, the latter best known as the dam of Singapore star Always Certain.

Loxton raced Eight Till Late with his business partner Tang Wang Fei, who won the 2009 Oaks with the Edwards-trained Cassandra Shadow.

Loxton will be hoping for a change of luck after buying a share in two-year-old Fuddle Dee Duddle, a brilliant Ascot winner last month.

Fuddle Dee Duddle is being aimed at the $250,000 Inglis Premier (1200m) at Mornington on February 15 and a top performance could see her head to the $1 million Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 25.

Loxton is also looking forward to the return of his consistent veteran galloper Reverend Lovejoy, who won a second Boulder Cup (1760m) at Kalgoorlie in September.