It is no secret that the racing game is one of ups and downs. Ron Pierce told Trot Insider today that he was expecting even bigger things from Big Bikkies after the gelding's 1:53.2 victory in the opening heat
of the Kentucky Futurity. Unfortunately, things couldn't have gone more wrong for the gelding in the second heat.
After the first heat of the Futurity, Pierce was faced with a problem -- although, it was a good problem to have. The reinsman advanced both Big Bikkies and Explosive Matter to the second heat of the Futurity. With Explosive Matter primed to take a run at Muscle Hill in the second heat, Pierce had to book off Big Bikkies.
Pierce told Trot Insider this morning that he took no joy in having to book off the gelded son of the late Windsongs Legacy. The Noel Daley-trained and Adam Victor and Son Stable-owned charge had been really hitting his stride since having made a gate break in the Hambletonian.
Big Bikkies was a wire-to-wire winner in the first heat of the Futurity, but Pierce thought the best was yet to come. "I came off the bike thinking that he was going to go an even bigger mile in the second heat," the pilot explained to Trot Insider.
"In the winner's circle I told all the connections that he felt great the entire mile and he was going to be good in the (upcoming) mile. He gave me no indication that anything was going to go wrong."
As reported by harnessracing.com today, Big Bikkies broke a coffin bone in the second heat of the Futurity, thus dashing any hope of continuing his late-season run. Big Bikkies finished a distanced last in the second heat. Muscle Hill captured the second heat in an impressive 1:51.1. Pierce finished a very solid second with Explosive Matter.
Trainer Noel Daley told harnessracing.com that Big Bikkies' injury is not career threatening, as "nothing broke off." The trainer also went on the record as stating that the gelding was only going to make one more start this year before coming back at the midway point of the 2010 racing season.
Big Bikkies is expecting to be sidelined for roughly one year's time.
(With files from harnessracing.com)
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