Hollywood Strip winning the 2026 NSW Derby Photo by Pacepix
AUSTRALIA’S champion three-year-old pacer Hollywood Strip has been euthanized after suffering another massive injury blow.
Trainer Brad Hewitt was choking back tears as he confirmed the news with the “best and most beautiful pacer you could ever train.”
Hollywood Strip, a winner of 13 of his 15 starts, developed laminitis in a hind leg as he started to recover from two major surgeries on his pastern bone in the other hind leg. He was euthanized today (Monday).
“It’s just devastating. He’s obviously been putting all the weight on the good leg,” Hewitt said. “The vet rang and he was really struggling and we had no option.
“It came out of nowhere and just when we thought he was recovering well from the second surgery.
“Sunday morning everyone was upbeat because he seemed so well and now this.
“He’s such a beautiful big horse. It’s a real kick in the guts. He was such a star and only just starting out. He could do things only the really special ones can.
“One of the hardest things is going to be telling my daughter (Ruby). He’d go to her every time and pop his head over the stall for a pat.
“It’s part of racing, but this one is especially hard to swallow.”
Hollywood Strip was already a dual Group 1 winner, including the NSW Derby, and underlined his potential with a huge third to subsequent Inter Dominion winner Captains Mistress and Kiwi star Marketplace in the Group 1 Rising Sun at his last run on July 4.
It propelled him into favouritism for the world’s richest pacing race, the $1.5 million TAB Eureka.
Hollywood Strip then fractured a pastern bone just days before the Group 1 Queensland Derby on July 18 when an odds-on favourite.
“It was a pretty straight-forward operation. Hevbhad three screws put in, but then he must have lashed out a week later and re-broken it,” Hewitt said. “It was even worse. He needed surgery again and had eight screws put in the second time.”
It added to a tough year for the Goulburn-based Hewitt, who also had his Inter Dominion-winning trotter The Locomotive retire to stud because of injury.
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
