Roxburgh's favourite horse has run her last race.
Pembrook's Delight, the winner of nine races, including the group 1 Harness Jewels 4yr-old diamond, has been retired after a niggling hock injury finally got the better of her.
The daughter of Bettor's Delight and Diamond Bright has been troubled by a capped hock even before her win at the 2012 Harness Jewels.
''[Capped hocks] normally don't bother them too much, but just in the last month it's worried her a little bit and yesterday we went to work her and there was quite a bit of heat in it,'' Geoff Knight, who trained the mare with his wife, Jude, at Roxburgh, said.
''In her last four starts she's raced below her best, and it was obvious something was not quite right. At the end of the day, she was always better than what she was showing in her last four starts.
''She's got nothing left to prove. She's a nine-win horse, she's got a 1.54 winning mile time, and she's won a group 1.''
Knight and co-owner Bill Bain, who raced the mare with wife Pauline and friend Judy Campbell, picked Pembrook's Delight out at the 2009 yearling sales, paying $30,000. She has repaid that in spades, earning $137,477 in her 39 starts.
Knight liked the look of her straight away once he got her into work.
''As a 2yr-old she looked quite smart, and then got on her knees a bit... so we turned her out,'' he said.
''She won her first start then had quite a few starts when she was racing against tough horses down south before she won her last race as a 3yr-old.''
Her 4yr-old season was solid even before the Harness Jewels at Cambridge, as she collated four wins from 15 starts before heading north where she pipped Bettor Cover Lover up the passing lane in the group 1 mile.
''She was consistent all the way through the season then capped it off with the Jewels,'' Knight said.
''She was always my favourite regardless, but when she won the Jewels that was something a bit special.''
Knight also placed her victory at Roxburgh in January near the top of the pile, due to her popularity around the town.
''She's the darling of Roxburgh really - the town embrace her and even non-racing people know who she is and are asking after her,'' he said.
Asked how Roxburgh would react, Knight replied: ''They'll be fine. We'll just have to find them another one.''
The 5yr-old is booked to go to boom Canadian colt-turned-stallion Somebeachsomewhere in the coming breeding season.
