Trainer Robbie Laing has confirmed that racing fans have not seen the last of Lord Of The Sky, despite the enigmatic sprinter’s Spring Carnival campaign having been called off as a result of injury.
Lord Of The Sky has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2016 Spring Carnival through injury, Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos
Lord Of The Sky was primed for a fourth-up appearance in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last Saturday, but was scratched from the race after scans revealed he had sustained minor damage to an annular ligament behind his fetlock joint.
Laing told Racing Ahead that while disappointing, Lord Of The Sky should be ready for a racing return in the 2017 Autumn Carnival.
“It was a disappointing, but you learn to cop them on the chin,” Laing said.
“He’s made plenty of headway – his leg’s gone down quite a bit, although he’s had plenty of treatment.
“The experts tell me he’ll be back for the autumn, so as long as we do all the therapy and rehab with him that we have come to embrace these days in racing.
“When you see it written in front of you he’s been through the ringer, but the horse is capable. He’s the equine version of a human with asthma – he has trouble with his lungs.
“Then he did his tendon bad in the Bletchingly last year. We probably did the wrong thing giving him the two runs after that off-front tendon injury in taking him to Sydney.”
Lord Of The Sky has posted six wins and five minors through twenty-five career appearances, since debuting for Laing in the winter of 2013.
Unlucky not to have posted a maiden win at the highest level, Lord Of The Sky undoubtedly found career-best form to date through the 2015 edition of the Autumn Carnival; running fourth in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) before an agonizingly-close second to Chautauqua in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) during The Championships; returning to the paddock after finishing second to Flamberge in the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m).
Failing to come up through the 2015 spring, the Danerich entire resumed this time for fourth in the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m); returning to winning form in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) before placing fifth in the Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) last time out on August 13th.
