Trainer Robert Smerdon is counting on a rapid recovery for Mosheen from minor throat surgery and is confident the setback won’t impede the exciting mare’s Cox Plate preparation.
Trainer Robert Smerdon is confident Mosheen will recover quickly from minor throat surgery. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
The star of the Autumn was immediately booked into the Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital for surgery yesterday after the breathing problem was discovered on Saturday during the mare’s morning workout.
Assistant trainer Stuart Webb detected an uncharacteristic noise when riding Mosheen work and the problem was quickly diagnosed as an epiglottic entrapment and Smerdon moved quickly to have the problem rectified, which involved minor surgery to secure a flip of skin at the top of the throat.
“The surgeon who did the procedure said it was a completely straightforward job and she should be as right as rain,” Smerdon said.
Epiglottic entrapment is an upper airway condition found in horses and as a result restricts the horses breathing and performance, but can he rectified in a fairly straight forward procedure.
“Things are as good as can be immediately post surgery,” Smerdon said.
“It’s quite simple surgery, which will see her back in the stables on Wednesday.”
“Assuming all goes as planned she’ll have a few quiet days then be back to work.
“It’s never good to have any sort of setback but we have plenty of time up our sleeve.”
A Cox Plate start is still high priority for Mosheen following the quick fire surgery and even though the four year old missed an important barrier trial at Cranbourne this morning, Smerdon is hoping to have the Fastnet Rock mare forward enough to resume in the Group 2 $220,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on September 1.
“We were going to step off in the Memsie and that still isn’t out of the question,” Smerdon said.
“We have plenty of time before the Cox Plate. We just work back from there and revise the plan if we have to.”
The Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 27 has attracted a first class list of nominations with Mosheen at $8 in the early market order which sees unbeaten rival Atlantic Jewel the $4.40 favourite ahead of Gai Waterhouse’s super mare More Joyous at $8 alongside of stable mate, last season’s super star two year old Pierro.
Mosheen stamped her class with a nine length demolition of her rivals in the Group 1 $1m Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington last November and then followed that up with three Group 1 wins in the Autumn.
After a shock defeat when second to Shopaholic in the Group 3 $150,000 The Vanity Stakes (1410m) at Flemington on February 18, Mosheen then cruised to victory in the Group 1 $750,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 3.
Smerdon then switched his attention to Sydney where the then three year old filly took out the Group 1 $500,000 Turnpoint Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick on March 17 and the Group 1 $400,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on April 7.
Melbourne racegoers are looking forward to a rematch in the Spring with Mark Kavanagh’s outstanding mare Atlantic Jewel who proved her superiority over Mosheen with a three length victory when the pair meet in the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 12.
