Caulfield Races, Racing News
Royal Ida Comeback at Bletchingly
Royal Ida Comeback at Bletchingly
Having fully recovered from a back injury, seasoned sprinter Royal Ida will resume his horse racing career in top form at the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes at the Caulfield races course. During the Listed Monash Stakes last July 17, the up-and-coming ten-year-old pulled a back muscle that made him take the losing end of a three-way photo finish with Reward for Effort and Keano.
After the injury, the race horse has responded very well and trainer Luke Oliver is ecstatic that the horse will be successful with his work this week. Oliver added that the work of Royal Ida seems to be on track and that he is definitely in top condition come Saturday.
With 18 career wins and a career winning total of $825,000, Royal Ida had a strong gallop in a race at Caulfield which made Oliver think that his horse will be a force to reckon with in Bletchingly. Oliver exclaimed that his horse had a great gallop even though he was really sore after the Monash Stakes. After that race, Royal Ida had chiropractic treatment for his back.
After his gallop at Caulfield, the chiropractor had a check on him and declared him totally fine. The winner of the Group Three Standish Handicap at the Flemington racecourse on New Year’s Day, Royal Ida has a betting odd of 11.00 coming into the Bletchingly Stakes. If he wins, it would be the horse’s eleventh stakes victory.
TAB Sportbet’s listed five pre-race favourites before Royal Ida. The top pre-race favourite is the Mick Price-trained Velocitea with a 3.40 betting odd. Next to him is AJC Australian Derby winner Shoot Out with a $3.70 betting odd. The Bletchingly Stakes is Shoot Out’s first outing this spring.
The other pre-race favourites before Royal Ida are Tollespirit with an 8.00 betting odd, Elumino with an 8.50 betting odd, Keano with a 9.00 betting odd and Stanzout with a 10.00 betting odd. Oliver welcomed the challenge by saying that it will be an exciting race due to the number of good horses that will compete.
It would be fitting if Elumino would win for this would be the final race this season for trainer Peter Moody and jockey Luke Nolen. The Melbourne Racing Club will honour them for being the top Melbourne trainer and jockey in the premiership. To help Elumino win, Moody is praying for a rain-soaked track.
Although Elumino has not won a stakes race, the four-year-old mare had a brilliant start against tough stakes performers when she gained a photo-finish victory in the 1200-metre All Victorian Sprint Series Final three weeks ago at the Flemington racecourse.
Moody said that it was a great victory for Elumino and that they are striking again while the iron is hot by having her race again. Moody added that although Shoot Out and Velocitea are better than her, Elumino is rock solid and there is a chance for her to catch up with the big names and possibly in if she gets in a slow track.
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