Trainer Harry Fry has suffered a big blow with the loss of his stable star Neon Wolf.
The Vinnie Roe gelding, who was bred by Peter Magnier, was only beaten once in a race career which commenced in an Irish point-to-point.
Under the care of Mags Mullins at the start of his competitive career, Neon Wolf made an impressive winning debut in a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Ballyragget in March 2016, when also providing jockey Patrick Mullins with his first ever winner between the flags.
Following that opening success, Neon Wolf was bought privately by Fry who enjoyed immediate success with the bay gelding, introducing him to British track action at Uttoxeter, when under Noel Fehily, he ran out the convincing 12-length winner of a Bumper.
A month later, Neon Wolf made his hurdling debut, claiming a Novices’ Hurdle at Exeter, before immediately following-up at a higher level when coming out on top in the Grade 2 Supreme Novices’ Trial at Haydock just 20-days later.
Commiserations to @HarryFryRacing1 & team on the loss of star Irish Pointer Neon Wolf who won his maiden P2P for Mags & Patrick Mullins pic.twitter.com/OdJ8r6ME6d
— p2p.ie (@irishp2p) August 21, 2017
One of the big talking horses heading into the Cheltenham Festival, must of the discussion surrounded on his participation, with connections keen to ensure that the ground was not too quick for their star prospect.
With sufficient ease in the ground to allow his participation, Fry watched on as Neon Wolf lost his unbeaten record by the narrowest of margins, losing out on Grade 1 success in the Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle by a head.
Following that narrow defeat in Grade 1 company, the future looked extremely bright for the six-year-old, however he has now been lost to connections following a tragic incident.
Writing on his website, Harry Fry detailed the circumstances following the loss of his stable star and the massive blow that his yard has experienced:
“We are deeply saddened to report the loss of the brilliantly talented Neon Wolf
over the weekend following a freak accident in his stable.
He had the potential to go right to the top and it is hard to come to terms with the fact that he has gone having suffered a complete laceration of his right hindlimb deep digital flexor tendon.
It is a dreadful blow to his owners the Masterson family and all of the team here at Seaborough. We all shared such high hopes and dreams for Neon Wolf
who came tantalising close to success at this year's Cheltenham Festival in the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle.
A big, imposing fluent jumper who started his career in an Irish point-to-point, he was a horse who had everything you look for in a top class racehorse. Very sadly he will not now get the chance to fulfil the promise he had shown us, he will be irreplaceable.”
"He will be irreplaceable” Harry Fry rocked by death of stable star Neon Wolf %u25B6%uFE0Fhttps://t.co/dNldauzJW4 pic.twitter.com/tb217NPWOZ
— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) August 21, 2017
