THE upcoming Sprint on Superstakes Day scheduled for Saturday, November 9, may just be the last time fans of horse racing will have the pleasure of seeing one of the all-time greats of local racing, St Cecelia, don her shoes and compete again.

Spencer Chung, trainer of the Burning Marque – She’s On Wheels seven-year-old mare, says that might just be the case. “A final decision has not been taken by the team as yet. What I can say is that St Cecelia will race in the Sprint, all things being equal, and depending on her performance and how she comes out of the race, she might well race again, probably in the Gold Cup which is a race she has won three times in her illustrious career,” Chung told the Complete Racing Guide.

The trainer, who is making his presence felt by virtue of having another good season, says the decision when to retire St Cecelia is not and will not be based on her last two performances when she had her record streak of 14 consecutive wins broken by the imported colt Blast Them Away over six and a half furlongs. She again fell victim to Blast Them Away shortly after in the None Such trophy over six furlongs.

“I can categorically state that the final decision of when St Cecelia will retire is not going to be based on her last two performances. She is still happy and well, and because she is getting on in age, the question of her retirement has been discussed several times. We will definitely not put her under any undue stress, so the plan is the Sprint first and foremost, then we take it from there,” Chung said.

He admitted that when St Cecelia does go to the breeding shed, a vacuum will be created which will probably never be filled. “St Cecelia means a lot to my family and myself. To have a horse of her quality and courage is really something which we all cherish. She has brought us so many joyful moments, but time holds for no one, so retirement is on the horizon, and when that happens we will, as always, act in her best interest,” Chung said.