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TENDON TREATMENTS
culture and multiply the cells to produce twenty million viable autologous mesenchymal stem cells. These were then couriered to Dumfriesshire and injected into the core lesion in Laouen’s tendon. Nevertheless, the odds remained stacked against him. The fact that this was the third lesion in his tendon meant that there were already two areas of significant scar tissue from the previous injuries and so ordinarily his prognosis would be poor. Yet against all the odds Len Lungo nursed him back from a 1,410 day absence to win a handicap hurdle at Hexham on 1st April 2007 by an easy sixteen lengths. This was no April Fool. The scenes were a mixture of jubilation and emotion from the winning connections and an acknowledging applause from the educated crowd. Laouen then went on to the Grand National meeting at Aintree where he started as favourite for a Listed Handicap Hurdle. Unfortunately, he suffered a fracture to his accessory carpal bone at the back of his knee probably when reaching for the fourth last when travelling well. Now a ten-year-old, he has been retired with his tendon intact to ‘HEROS’, a charity dedicated to ensuring former racehorses have a future when their racing days are over and where he is being re-trained for pastures new.
Ultrasound scans showing the extent of Laouen’s tendon lesion
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