Hansa, the talented bay filly sired by Successful Native out of Cape, had it all going for her in the Jamaica St Leger on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Ridden by veteran jockey Wesley Henry, she surged to the front with six furlongs remaining in the 10-furlong race, seizing control of the race. But in a heart-stopping turn of events, Hansa’s charge to victory was halted in the final furlong when she began to fade rapidly and was ultimately overtaken by I Dream Again.

The joy of her impressive run was short-lived, as it soon became clear that Hansa had sustained a serious injury during the race. The news was confirmed by her trainer Richard Azan, who revealed that Hansa had suffered a condylar fracture of the right front leg, specifically a fracture of the base of the cannon bone.

The severity of the injury has left Hansa’s racing future in doubt. According to Azan, surgery would require a 9-12 month recovery period, effectively ruling out a return to racing. Given the circumstances, Azan believes the best option is to retire Hansa from racing and transition her to a breeding programme.

“Unfortunately, Hansa has picked up what appears to be a career-ending injury, a condylar fracture of the right front leg, that is a fracture of the base of the cannon bone. Nowadays there are so many injuries that are being reported one has to wonder if the racetrack is the cause.

“In Hansa’s case, when I spoke with Callaloo [Wesley Henry], he told me that Hansa was going so well up to the furlong pole, when she changed lead, he felt a difference and she started to slow down significantly. After the race we did X-rays where the injury was confirmed,” Azan said.

He added: “We can get Hansa’s injury problem fixed by putting screws in, but it will take 9-12 months before she can race again. If so, she will be racing as a four-year-old, where the purses are extremely low. The best option at this time is to end her racing career and get her into the breeding programme.”