Malaguerra wins the Darley0:35
Horse Racing: The darley Classic was won by Malaguerra.
Perth trip off after Lankan Rupee suffers new injury setback
STAR sprinter Lankan Rupee will miss this month’s Winterbottom Stakes in Perth and the autumn carnival because of a suspensory injury.
Trainer Mick Price said it was a new injury for the gelding and not the one that had kept him on the sidelines for a year until last month.
Price said Lankan Rupee pulled up sore after his Darley Classic fourth on Saturday and scans yest morning confirmed the injury.
“It’s an area where he hasn’t had any concerns with before. It’s a small awkward area and he’ll just need time,” Price said.
“The advice I’ve been given is that he’ll need four months to recover. I was thinking we could get him back for the Brisbane carnival, but that will come up a bit too quick so I’ll get him back for next spring.
“It’s disappointing. He ran well in the Darley Classic but yesterday he looked a bit sore.”
Lankan Rupee, a five-time Group 1 winner and the 2013-2014 Australian Racehorse Of The Year, resumed from over a year off with a third in the Caulfield Sprint before he ran last Saturday.
Although Lankan Rupee will be eight next spring Price believes he’s not ready to be retired.
Price said because of the different track preferences of his star three-year-old colts Extreme Choice and Flying Artie he will be able to target different feature sprints in Melbourne at Caulfield and Flemington early in their campaigns next year.
Plans have been reset for Extreme Choice after he didn’t handle the Flemington straight when he finished fifth in the Coolmore Stud Stakes behind Flying Artie.
“As he doesn’t like the straight I’ll set Extreme Choice for the Oakleigh Plate (at Caulfield) while I’ll set Flying Artie for two Flemington straight races, the Lightning Stakes and the Newmarket Handicap,” he said.
After those Melbourne runs Price said the colts would then clash in the T.J. Smith Stakes at Randwick.
“Both pulled up well after the Coolmore and are in the paddock already,” he said.
DUNN WARY OF SALUTING
APPRENTICE Dylan Dunn hopes to emulate Ben Thompson’s success last year in Sunday’s Apprentice World Championship Final in Abu Dhabi but not his celebration.
“I don’t think I can top Ben’s salute and celebration after he won, so I won’t be trying to,” Dunn said.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity as I’ll be riding against high-class riders.”
Dunn, who leaves for Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, said the trip would be an education and experience.
“We will be with the best riding coaches in the world and they will put us on mechanical horses and look at our styles,” he said.