The near-side front hoof of the 4yr-old had been harbouring a secret for some time, but it was not until a chance discovery by co-trainer Geoff Knight that all was revealed.
The son of Santanna Blue Chip was bred by Terror To Love's owner, Terry McDonald, and began his career with Graham and Paul Court. It may have ended there, until Forbury Park Trotting Club president Gerald Cayford gave up on Between The Lines, whom he had bought off McDonald.
''It didn't go any good and he said I've got another problem one here,'' Cayford said.
Cayford placed the gelding with Westwood Beach trainers Jonny Cox and Amber Hoffman, but something was still niggling away at Santanna Magic.
So Cayford sent his pacer inland to Geoff and Jude Knight at Roxburgh, where the reason for Santanna Magic's poor racing manners became clear.
''We inadvertently stumbled on the big problem which was an underlying quarter crack in his hoof,'' Geoff Knight said.
Santanna Magic had trodden on his own foot. Knight picked up the hoof and noticed an unusual amount of movement.
He called his farrier, Murray Jones, who dug deep but was not comfortable digging any deeper, so Knight turned to Southern Vets who finished the job.
''It was badly infected and we only found it by chance. It could have been there for a long, long time,'' Knight said.
''Once we got that all cleaned up, his whole attitude changed.''
Santanna Magic opened up at $16 on the fixed odds market but was backed heavily and closed at $3, with the New Zealand TAB fixed odds book on the race losing almost $40,000, bookmaker Richard Wilson said.
Cayford, who races the horse in conjunction with sons Chris and Jason and friends Brian Bennett and Gary Wright under the Everydays A Good Day Syndicate banner, wonders if he might get a call from McDonald.
''It'll go on to win a few more - Terry might want it back!''
