Trainer Lee Freedman is confident that Our Ivanhowe will prove difficult to beat on heavy going when he returns to the races in Saturday’s Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens.
Our Ivanhowe has been in Australia for close to two years, but the talented seven-year-old is yet to find his ideal racing conditions and has raced on nothing less than a ‘Soft 5’ since arriving in the Freedmans’ care.
Faced with the prospect of a ‘Heavy 9’ at Rosehill on Saturday, Freedman told RSN that the Soldier Hollow entire is a different horse on a rain-soaked track and he is subsequently expecting Our Ivanhowe to be right in the finish of the Ranvet Stakes.
“He’s seven-years-olds, he’s been here two years and he’s never gotten his preferred ground, which is significantly soft,” Freedman said.
“Hopefully we’ll see the best of Ivanhowe – he’s very fit and very well.”
Our Ivanhowe is currently considered an $11 chance of winning the Ranvet Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au and Freedman believes that he is far better than the quote suggests.
“I just looked at the market before I came in and they’ve got him at eleven dollars. Gee, I’d be taking some of that!” Freedman said.
“If Hartnell doesn’t fire, this horse is a gun in the wet.”
Our Ivanhowe began his racing career in Germany and undoubtedly found his best form through a 2014 campaign which heralded consecutive wins in the Group 1 Grosser Preis Von Baden (2413m) and Group 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern (2414m).
Running fifth in each of the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) and Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) upon resuming in 2016, Our Ivanhowe failed to fire in the Group 1 The BMW (2400m), but responded with an impressive performance to win the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) in Brisbane.
Our Ivanhowe failed to come up in the spring, but he has trialled well in the lead-up to his return in the Ranvet Stakes 2017.