Buffering has run his last race and will spend his retirement years in Victoria and Queensland.
The champion son of Vinery sire Mossman will join all-time greats like Might And Power at Living Legends in Melbourne during the summer months and return home to part-owner Bruce Harry’s property to enjoy the warmer winter in his home State.
“We have spoken with Andrew Clarke at Living Legends and no doubt there will be a lot of people who want to see him,” trainer Rob Heathcote said. “They also take the horses to a lot of different racing events and Buff will love that stuff.”
Buffering (9g Mossman – Action Annie by Anabaa) bows out after a midfield finish in the G1 Manikato Stakes, finishing ahead of Australia’s 2nd hightest rated racehorse Chautaqua, at Moonee Valley on Friday night. It draws the curtain on a golden era of Australian racing – Buff first surfaced at a time when Black Caviar and Hay List ruled the sprinting ranks before emerging as a champion in his own right.
After 55 starts and a career that netted 20 wins and $7.28 million and 5 consecutive QLD Horse of the Year titles, Heathcote picked out two favourite wins starting with the 2013 Manikato Stakes. “That will always be special because it was an enormous sense of relief to finally get that first Group 1. It’s a photo finish in front of winning in Dubai, which was just out of this world.”
The Buffering team have been preparing for what turned out to be his final fling on Friday. Long time strapper and Rob Heathcote’s Racing Manager, Melanie Sharpe said “it’ll be sad honestly, because he’s been a big part of my life and where I’ve got to in my career,” ahead of this year’sMoir Stakes. “Everyone’s got to retire and the day will come when he tells us, because he’s just that type of horse” Sharpe commented.
On Friday after the Mankato Stakes Heathcote said “he’s public property and we had to treat him with respect. I received over 50 text messages of congratulations for making the decision – it was the right thing to do.
“We have come to the end of the journey with a happy, healthy, sound horse,” Heathcote added. “He’s been a beautiful horse, not just for the owners, but the fans, too.
“It’s been a super ride and I’m going to miss him enormously.”
