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By Ray Hickson

He had just eight starts and conquered sprinting’s biggest mountain but a tendon injury means Everest hero Yes Yes Yes has run his last race.

Trainer Chris Waller said the valuable colt would require at least nine months, possibly 12, on the sidelines to be fit for a return to racing and given his potential as a stallion that would be risky.

Yes Yes Yes was due to have an exhibition gallop at Randwick last Saturday but Waller pulled the pin on the gallop when heat was discovered in the left front tendon.

Upon further examination over the weekend a lesion was found and while it is considered minor and the horse is not lame or sore no chances are being taken.

“Explaining tendon injuries to people is never easy, however to best put into basic terms their tendons are like a rope and when the strands break but then repair they don’t join back together with the same elasticity,’’ Waller said.

“The more strands that break, the more inflammation that occurs and this results in heat and pain and the rest of the tendon is then compromised, increasing the risk of causing further problems.

“This decision has been made based on a number of well-known veterinary facts in addition to expert advice from around the world.’’

Yes Yes Yes wins the TAB Everest

The star three-year-old was being prepared for an autumn campaign that would culminate in the Group 1 $2.5m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on Day 1 of The Championships and a trip to Royal Ascot.

While he’ll head to Coolmore Stud in the spring without a Group 1 win to his name, Yes Yes Yes beat the best field of sprinters that could be assembled, including 10 individual Group 1 winners, in his famous $14m TAB Everest win at Randwick last October.

He won the Todman Stakes leading into the Golden Slipper but a wet track hampered his chances there, and chased home Bivouac in the Run To The Rose and Group 1 Golden Rose prior to the Everest.

He’ll be the first Everest winner to stand at stud, the first two runnings were taken out by a gelding in Redzel, and retires with $7.1 million in prizemoney.

“He is a very special colt and I have been very fortunate to train some great horses but it has been a privilege to train a colt that boasts the qualities he has, coupling physical prowess and mental aptitude beyond his years giving a glimpse sample of how good this horse is,’’ Waller said.

“Racing can deliver cruel blows but my team are proud to look back on the short career of Yes Yes Yes and admire the achievements he made.

“It has been a brief but amazing ride with a wonderful colt and I am sure will make a great stallion in the future given the talent and ability he possessed as a racehorse.’’

In the absence of Yes Yes Yes, TAB’s market for the TJ Smith has taken on a new look with fellow colts Bivouac and Exceedance, along with Nature Strip, sharing top spot at $8 for the autumn sprint grand final.

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