Trainer Trent Busuttin is confident that El Roca will be able to return to racing in 2015 and he believes that the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) could be an ideal race for the talented entire.
El Roca missed the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival due to a suspensory ligament injury. Photo by: Steve Hart
El Roca was set for a tilt at races like the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but he was sent back to the spelling paddock without having a race start after he was found with a suspensory ligament injury on the morning of the Group 1 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington on September 13.
There were fears that the injury could spell the end of El Roca’s racing career, but Busuttin told Racing Ahead this morning that the Fastnet Rock entire was recovering well from the injury and he believes that the four-year-old will have the chance to continue his career next year.
“He is doing very well,” Busuttin said
“It is not a matter of if the injury will heal it is a matter of when and he has had a couple of months off now.
“He will have another scan on his ligament in the middle of December and then we will decide where and when we exactly get him back to work and what we aim up at it.
“An injury is never good and a suspensory is never good, but as far as they go it wasn’t a huge damaged suspensory.
“We are very positive that he will come back and the scans so far have shown that it is healing nicely.”
Busuttin admits that he is unlikely to have El Roca ready for the start of the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and feels that the 2015 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival could be a more suitable option for the Group 1 placegetter.
Connections of El Roca are desperate to record a win at the highest level of racing to increase his value as a stallion prospect and Busuttin said that both the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) and Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) are on the agenda for El Roca.
“It will probably either be late autumn or possibly the Doomben 10,000 and the Stradbroke,” Busuttin said.
“The Stradbroke is a nice target now with that prizemoney going up to $2 million and obviously the main thing would be to try to get a much-valued Group 1 beside the horses name.”
El Roca has recorded three wins from his nine race starts and accumulated over $380,000 in prizemoney for connections, but has yet to record a win at Group 1 level after finishing in the placings in the Group 1 Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m).
