Our Ivanhowe will miss the Melbourne Autumn Carnival

Five times Melbourne Cup winning trainer Lee Freedman is hoping for a wet end to the Autumn for German import Our Ivanhowe who has just returned to work and will miss the Melbourne Autumn Carnival.

Our Ivanhowe, above, looks likely to miss the Melbourne Autumn Carnival. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Our Ivanhowe, above, looks likely to miss the Melbourne Autumn Carnival. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Freedman, who trains in partnership with his brother Anthony, said that Our Ivanhowe had to have longer in the paddock to get over his tough run in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 1 where he struggled on the firm track to finish seventeenth to Almandin.

“We brought him back into work later because he did take the run pretty badly in the Melbourne Cup on that firm ground,” Lee Freedman told Racing.com.

“I guess it is the case with him of having him ready for the back end of Sydney and then onto Brisbane hoping that quite often at that time of year getting soft tracks.”

“We didn’t last year but every year is different.”

Even though Freedman considers Our Ivanhowe to be a superior galloper on rain affected tracks, the seven year old was able to overhaul his opponents to win the Group 1 $650,000 Hardy Brothers Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 21 on a Good 3 rated track.

The weight for age Doomben Cup could be on the agenda again for Our Ivanhowe this year during the 2017 Brisbane Winter Carnival.

Our Ivanhowe failed to run a place from four runs during the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival and after running fifth first up on Soft 5 rated track in the Group 1 $500,000 PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 10, was always out of contention when eighth to Hartnell in the Group 1 $500,000 Yellowglen Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 2.

At his next start Our Ivanhowe made up plenty ground from the back of the field but was still beaten five and a quarter lengths when sixth to Jameka in the Group 1 $3m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 15 before heading to Flemington for the Melbourne Cup.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.