When Shotgun Preacher was just a weanling, a kick from a mate left him with a severely damaged shoulder. It looked like he would need to be euthanized.

Then his breeder, Paul ‘Pete’ Spears, learned of a new procedure that “might” give the horse a chance to live. Not only did he live, but he recently swept the field in the stretch at Mohawk, to impressively break his maiden. By Chris Lomon