Gollan talks up return for Hi Barbie after BJ McLachlan Stakes scare

Tony Gollan has given an update on his two-year-old filly Hi Barbie after her poor finish in the Group 3 BJ McLachlan Stakes at Eagle Farm last weekend.

The trainer explained that the reason for Hi Barbie’s poor finish was a heart issue. Golan says his rising star is “fifty-fifty” to return to racing next month.

Hi Barbie’s disappointing second run

Following her first place finish in her debut race–the Aquis Stallions Phelan Ready Plate in November–Hi Barbie was the clear betting sites favourite for last Saturday’s Group 3 BJ McLachlan Stakes at Eagle Farm. She entered the race with $2.60 odds to win.

Instead of living up to the hype from the horse racing betting market and strolling to a first-place finish, the daughter of I Am Invincible was eased down as she crossed the finish line.

Hi Barbie finished 13th out of 14 gallopers and 17 lengths behind the winner, Ciaron Maher’s Icarian Dream.

Medical condition explains poor run

Hi Barbie was immediately seen by a veterinary expert after her disappointing run in the BJ McLachlan Stakes. According to Gollan, the vet quickly found an explanation for why his filly failed to live up to the betting apps odds on Saturday.

The trainer revealed that Hi Barbie had suffered a cardiac arrhythmia. In other words, the vet found that she had an irregular heartbeat.

However, Gollan says that Hi Barbie’s condition has improved since the exam right after the race.

“Everything was back to normal on Saturday night,” he said, “(Hi Barbie was) still normal on Sunday and the ECG was good on Monday morning.”

Gollan says Hi Barbie’s future is fifty-fifty

In the wake of Hi Barbie’s scary diagnosis, Gollan says the filly’s future is up in the air right now.

“She’ll be going out to Embrook for a week, like the normal routine,” Gollan explained.

“She’ll come back in next week. We’ll give her a gallop and another ECG after it. We’ll do that on the Tuesday or Wednesday next week.”

Besides ensuring that Gollan is good physically, the top trainer says that he also needs to make sure Hi Barbie is ready to handle the stress of competitive racing again.

“We’ll also see how her temperament and demeanour is to see is she is stressed from the incident.”

If Hi Barbie is good enough to race, Gollan says the filly could run in the Magic Millions at Gold Coast Racecourse on January 11.

“We are fifty-fifty about whether we go forward (to the Magic Millions). We put the horse first. I just want to make sure she is fine and then we’ll let the rest look after itself,” Gollan said.

“We have got plenty of time. She has already qualified for the race.

“It just depends on whether we feel we have the horse to go there. Otherwise, we are happy to give her a break and bring her back in the winter,” he added.