Racing fans across Australia were no doubt delighted to hear word from Lankan Rupee’s trainer Mick Price that the former world’s top ranked sprinter was back in training.
The 2013-14 horse of the year is now a seven-year old, and hasn’t raced since a third placing last October in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.
The star sprinter was treated for an injury shortly after that race, diagnosed with bone bruising in a hock that led to unusual injury complications for the Mick Price stable.
“There was a little bit of bone bruising but there was a bit of a problem with the ligament behind the hock,” Price, Lankan Rupee’s trainer, told Racenet.
“It is a very unusual injury … but we’re in the hands of the experts so that’s all we can do.”
The gelding has been in ‘pre-training’, spending mornings on a water walker. And it appears he’s enjoying being back at work. Price said Rupee had returned “bouncing around like a two-year old.”
“He had trot and canter on Friday and trot and cantered on Saturday,” Price said.
“I’ll clip him on Monday and get his grubby old winter coat off him and he’ll bloom.”
While there’s not yet a racing programme in mind, Price is hopeful that he can progress to a jumpout, his first real test.
“I’m going to give him his chance to build through the next eight weeks,” Price said.
“On what I see at the moment I’m pretty confident he’ll get to trialling and hopefully racing and then we’ll see what he’s like under pressure.
First things first, just seeing Lankan Rupee back on the track on raceday would alone be a win for all connections.
But how far can he go, should we see him make a return?
Chautauqua is king of the sprinters in Australia at the moment, possibly even globally after his remarkable Hong Kong win.
He’s back with Team Hawkes this week as well, and looking in fine order already.
The Mighty Grey #chautauqua has just arrived into the stables and looks an absolute picture !!! ???? #boom pic.twitter.com/bOcwnSFUKJ
— Hawkes Racing (@HawkesRacing) August 8, 2016
At his best, Lankan Rupee managed to beat the top sprinters at the time including Buffering, Terravista, and Chautauqua, who was still working it all out then.
That quartet were all very close to each other when at their best, trading Group 1s in close finishes.
Still, nothing came close to topping Lankan Rupee’s season in 2013-14, where he put together seven wins from eight starts, including three Group 1s.
He then won the Manikato Stakes (1200m) in a memorable Mooney Valley Group 1, as well as the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington.
He was then 4.3 lengths off them in the Newmarket as the top weight, giving Chautauqua three kilograms, which looks acceptable in hindsight.
His next two runs were troubled by injury. He was miles back running second last in the Group 1 TJ Smith (1200m) at Randwick before being spelled, and his only run in spring of 2015 was a good performance considering his injury. It’s worth listening to Mick Price instinctively talk through his concerns for the horse before ‘Rupee was treated and spelled.
The quote: ‘Raceday tells all’ shouldn’t be forgotten here.
At Lankan Rupee’s absolute best – season 2013-14 – he would be a genuine challenge to Chautauqua’s crown right now.
He’d likely be leading or in the front few, ready to pounce. Chautauqua, steaming home late.
The remarkable period for Lankan Rupee is now more than two years ago, and rarely do many horses improve after a breakout season, and even more rarely after a serious injury.
Other horses English, Fell Swoop, and some of the seasoned chances like The Quarterback, Black Heart Bart and honest tryer Flamberge, will all be there, as well as the three-year olds.
Still, at his best, Lankan Rupee could quickly sweep to the top of the rankings again, and in full flight, would be something to see again.
Here’s hoping that transpires, because Chatauqua versus a healthy Lankan Rupee and the chasing pack in a big Group 1 would be a raceday ticket worth buying.
Without a Fight completed the rare Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double on Tuesday as star jockey Mark Zahra went back-to-back in the big one after…
The race that stops the nation is upon us again. Every horse in the Melbourne Cup has reasons they can win, and reasons they…
Those who want to have a really big collect on Australia’s greatest race, without risking too much, have to look at the exotic bets.
While most of the attention is on Ciaron Maher and David Eustace's Gold Trip, there's no reason why stablemate Future History cannot upstage him.
Champion jockey Damien Oliver is quietly confident his Melbourne Cup mount Alenquer will be passed fit to give him a farewell ride in the…
Melbourne Cup day is here again, and it’s never anything less than exciting. The Cup itself will of course be full of drama and…
