After putting together a very productive 2008 campaign, the connections of the talented pacing mare Southwind Madonna are giving the career winner of $804,871 some well-deserved time off.
"Southwind Madonna has been shut down for the remainder of the year," said Darryl MacArthur, whose Talacadac Stable shares ownership on the five-year-old daughter of Camluck. "We have known since shortly after the Breeders Crown final that she would need some time off."
The 21-time winner, who was supplemented to this year's Breeders Crown Open Mare Pace, finished a disappointing eighth in the final of that event at Mohawk Racetrack on August 30 after winning her $42,572 elimination in a career-best clocking of 1:49.3 one week earlier. That clocking also earned the mare a share of Mohawk's track record for older pacing mares.
"After the uncharacteristic performance in the Breeders Crown final we were suspicious that something was not 100%, and it turns out we were correct," MacArthur told Trot Insider. "She will be on stall rest for three months, re-examined and ideally back into training shortly thereafter."
The Carl MacArthur trainee, who has 21 lifetime victories, put together a 9-6-3 record while banking over $333,000 in 22 starts this season. She won multiple Open and Preferred events on the WEG circuit this season in addition to finishing second in the $405,715 final of the Roses Are Red Stakes.
There's a strong possibility the mare will be a finalist on the ballot for Canada's Older Pacing Mare of the Year at the 2008 O'Brien Awards. Just as she's done all season, she'll find herself embroiled in yet another battle with the likes of My Little Dragon, Darlins Delight and Hana Hanover in the year-end voting.