Time Called On Easter Egg Champ's Career

REIGNING Golden Easter Egg champion Zipping Bailey has been retired.

The powerhouse sprinter pulled up "on three legs" after a TAB Million Dollar Chase heat assignment at Maitland on Thursday and owner Martin Hallinan said an injury first sustained at Wentworth Park in mid-July has come against the daughter of Barcia Bale.

"She was barreled in the catching pen at Wenty on July 13 and [trainer] Jason [Mackay] rang me on the night and said she'd suffered a hock injury," Hallinan mused.

"The next day we had the leg x-rayed and there was no clear bone damage … we all considered it was a cartilage issue and Jason worked on the area on a daily basis."

With the Million Dollar Chase heats underway, time was conspiring against Zipping Bailey, yet the Maitland heats arrived in a timely manner.

"We now know it was more than a cartilage problem," Hallinan added.

"Jason would get her right and then she'd be lame again for a few days. We were hopeful that she could get back to her best form and be in the mix for the Million Dollar Chase but her future is now here at home as a mum.

"She came off the track at Maitland a little ‘proppy' but she's now holding the leg up and that's a tell-tale sign."

Retirement in early spring is somewhat of a blessing, however.

In coming weeks Zipping Bailey will return to her birthplace at Clergate and have the run of the vast property once the problem is sorted.

Unsurprisingly, her first ‘beau' will be Zipping Garth.

Unbeaten in five starts, Zipping Garth has caught the imagination of breeders from far and wide.

Already the Hallinans have Zipping Meg and Tricky Rose in pup to ‘Garth' and while both girls had decent racing careers (eight and 14 wins respectively), they are not in the same stratosphere as Zipping Bailey.

Her last-to-first 2019 Golden Easter Egg win was remarkable and she will get every chance to produce pups of the same ilk.

The daughter of Zipping Willow retires with 21 race wins from her 43 starts, boasting prizemoney of $371,016.

Responsible for some remarkable times, the July 2016 whelp holds the Ladbrokes Gardens track record at 29.16.