When Kiwi horse 'Mr Williams' broke down for a third time 12 months ago, trainer Brent Mangos tried to give him away as a hack because he didn't want the horse to become dog tucker.
But no one wanted Mr Williams, who in the previous two years had bowed a tendon, then gone sore twice more in the same foreleg with holes in the tendon.
So when co-owner Scott Plant suggested they try revolutionary stem cell surgery, Mangos had no hesitation.
"We had nothing to lose because he was just sitting in the back paddock doing nothing."
Mangos and his wife Dianne, a co-owner, did have something to lose actually as the surgery cost thousands but they also knew if they could ever get their speedy pacer back on to the track, he had plenty more to offer.
Today, at Wanganui, nearly three years after he last raced, the now eight-year-old is finally back, sharing the back mark of 40 metres in the $10,000 Wanganui Cup.
And the horse trialled so well at the start of the month, Mangos believes even from the tough handicap, he won't be far away with the right trail into the race.
Mangos said the stem cell treatment had without doubt straightened and strengthened Mr Williams' tendon – a considerable surprise given the 16-hand horse was so heavy.
Weighing 600kg, compared with an average horse's 520kg, Mr Williams was hardly a good candidate for staying sound but, touch wood, he was still in one piece, Mangos said.
"The stem cell surgery certainly worked – he'd broken down several times and had been in and out of work for the last three years. Even though his leg is not 100%, it's looking far better."
Mr Williams joins a growing list of talented racehorses who have made comebacks after stem cell treatment where bone marrow is removed from the animal's sternum and stem cells, extracted from the marrow, are cultivated before being injected into the horse's tendon.
Vets believe the stem cells reduce the rate of re-injury by forming a more tendon-like repair tissue, rather than a scar-like tissue which, being weaker, is generally the site of secondary injuries.
While expensive at around $20,000 and time consuming, when racehorses with the talent of Mr Williams are involved the potential rewards are also great.
At his best Mr Williams was "capable of anything", Mangos said. Second to freakish mare Mainland Banner in the 2006 New Zealand Messenger at Alexandra Park, Mr Williams has "heaps of speed," according to Mangos. "He's not a grinder, he's more a speed horse, who's very good coming off another horse's back."
Ad Feedback With an enviable record of 11 wins and nine placings from only 29 starts, and $133,169 in earnings, Mr Williams was sparring with some of the best when he last competed on January 26, 2007.
And, while Mangos said it was expecting a lot of the horse to reach that level immediately, "I expect him to go a good race on Sunday because he trialled very well."
When Mr Williams ran Sires' Stakes Final winner Sir Lincoln to a neck at the Pukekohe workouts on December 1, he beat home horses of the calibre of Tintin In America, Aslan and Lauraella, clocking a slick 2:45.5 for the 2200 metres, home in 56 and 27.7.
While Mr Williams was not a galloper from a stand he had had "a few issues" and was prone to being fidgety and jumpy. "But from 40 metres he should follow them away and if he's not too far off them at the mile and gets a suck into it, he's a chance."
Mangos said Mr Williams took a lot of work – stable foreman Hayden Cullen trucked him to the beach twice a week and he also swam at Mangos' pool to keep the weight off his legs.
Starting his comeback at Wanganui would be easier on the horse because he would get less concussion on the grass and also meet easier opposition. "It's hard in that grade at Auckland at the moment but he's pretty good and hopefully we'll get a few races out of him.
New lease of life for Mr Williams
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