Master Minded suffers career-threatening injury
Dual Champion Chase winner Master Minded may never race again after picking up a career-threatening tendon injury during the King George VI Chase at Kempton.
While owner Clive Smith’s Kauto Star won the race, his other runner Master Minded pulled up lame after he struck into himself during the race at Kempton on Boxing Day (Monday, 26 December).
“There were definitely mixed emotions,” Clive told H&H. “It’s a tremendous shame. Master Minded has had an operation on the tendon, but we just have to hope he doesn’t get any infections now. Once they have an injury like this it’s hard to get them back.”
The eight-year-old was taken to Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons in Newmarket for treatment. He underwent surgery on Monday night and is due to remain at Rossdales for a month.
Master Minded has won eight Grade One races in his career including two Cheltenham Champion Chases (2008, 2009) and two Tingle Creeks (2008, 2010). He most recently won the Grade One Amlin 1965 Chase at Ascot on 19 November.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world

A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.