A POPULAR racehorse which has won more than £600,000 in prize money is recovering at a North-East veterinary centre after fighting for his life.

Grey steeplechaser Monet’s Garden was brought to the region from his stables in Cumbria to undergo life-saving treatment at a surgery in Low Lane, near Yarm, Stockton.

The 13-year-old gelding is suffering from a potentiallyfatal hoof infection and owner David Wesley Yates was advised by vets that he should be put down.

But Monet’s Garden has won 17 races in the colours of Mr Wesley Yates and the businessman was not going to give up without a fight.

The horse was taken to racehorse specialists at Oaklands Veterinary Centre, where he has confounded experts by his recovery.

“He’s a battler,” said a spokeswoman at Greystoke – the base of Monet’s Garden’s trainer Nicky Richards, near Penrith.

“No other horse has ever recovered from this. He is just amazing. Just before this he won a race at Aintree, so he was in really good nick, so when he got this infection he was able to fight it.”

It is hoped Monet’s Garden is able to return home within the next two weeks after finishing his course of antibiotics yesterday.

Speaking to The Northern Echo last night, Mr Wesley Yates said his horse was improving every day, and that was due in part to his “lovely”

temperament.

He said: “He was clever enough to know that the vet was doing everything possible to help him. He responded to that and it has made a big difference.”

Mr Wesley Yates said he had to disregard expert opinion to even give his horse a chance of survival.

“I got a second opinion and that was just the same, that there wasn’t the remotest chance of him coming through,” he said. “But he seemed so well in himself and he wasn’t in so much pain, so I thought we should give him a chance.”

Monet’s Garden was found to be lame after winning the Old Roan Chase at Aintree for the third time last October.

Due to the seriousness of his condition, he has been retired from racing.

“He will hate retirement,”

said Mr Wesley Yates. “Fingers crossed he comes through this, but we are going to have to keep him busy.”

On Sunday, the vets discovered he had kicked off a specialist shoe which was protecting his injury.