German import Our Ivanhowe has been passed fit to start in today’s Group 1 $1.5m The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill after getting the all clear following an early morning vet check.
Trainer Lee Freedman, left, was always confident that Our Ivanhowe would be passed fit to run in The BMW at Rosehill. Photo by Taron Clarke.
The Lee and Anthony Freedman trained Our Ivanhowe had to be cleared by Racing NSW Senior Veterinarian Craig Suann after suffering a minor hoof problem during the week and will take his place in today’s 2400m weight for age Autumn Carnival feature.
Lee Freedman said that he was always confident that Our Ivanhowe would be able to line up today after he responded favourably to treatment over the last forty-eight hours.
“It is good. We had to pass a vet check this morning and Craig came out and we were pretty confident,” Freedman told Sky Racing’s Racing Ahead Saturday.
“We saw great improvement in it yesterday and this morning even before Craig got there I was very confident that he would pass any test as he trots up.”
“It is not the greatest trotter in the world, but he was the normal Ivanhowe.”
Freedman said that the foot abscess was only discovered on Thursday morning after trackwork and that Our Ivanhowe hasn’t missed any work in the lead up to today’s race.
“I was up here Tuesday and he was fine. Got a call Thursday morning from my staff up here that he had done his work, he missed no work, but pretty acute an hour after trackwork,” Freedman said.
“Which kind of made me feel a bit confident. To come on that quick it must have disturbed it right up and I think that helped us with a lot of the attention from my guys to get to the bottom of it.”
“I won’t be using that as an excuse, I think the horse is in good order.”
“He did nine furlongs on Tuesday and worked terrific on the course proper and did another seven or a mile easier on Thursday.”
“So he has missed no work at all.”
Freedman has to make a minor adjustment with Our Ivanhowe’s race day shoes and he will race in a three quarter plate on the affected hoof.
“No possibility of him running in glue ons because of the nature of glue ons it would have had to cover that area,” Freedman said.
“So we are going to go with conventional plates, with one of them a three quarter on his affected foot and he had that set on this morning when he trotted up and Craig said that I think you are on the right tram there.”
Our Ivanhowe will jump from barrier eight in the ten horse field with Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle and is coming off a last start fifth to Preferment in the Group 1 $1.5m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 12.
Our Ivanhowe has drifted out in the betting at Ladbrokes.com.au since the hoof problem was discovered and is now marked at $6 after opening at $4.40 on Wednesday when the final field for The BMW was released.
The Chris Waller trained Preferment heads the market order at $3.70 ahead of Kiwi stayer Mongolian Khan at $4.60.
The BMW market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.70 Preferment, $4.60 Mongolian Khan, $6 Our Ivanhowe, $7.50 Who Shot Thebarman, $8.50 Montaigne, $10 Almoonqith, $11 Rising Romance, $21 Grand Marshall, $26 Storm The Stars, Arab Dawn.
