By Duane Ranger
A 2:18 winning mile rate at the Cambridge Workouts is nothing to raise the roof over, but the owners of The Crown Jewels are just rapt they just have something to smile about.
The Nicky Chilcott trained and driven 5-year-old brown gelding hasn’t raced since July 8 last year. It’s been a long, arduous road for the son of Pegasus Spur and Landora’s Image.
His career looked as might as if it had come to an abrupt halt after he ran 22-length 10th in his last tote assignment at Cambridge Raceway. The verdict: stifle disease.
“He had been suffering from bad stifles and only one-to-one special care from Nicky has ensured his recovery. It didn’t look good there for a while there, but at least now he’s back on the track again.
“Nicky lined him up just so to see if he could negotiate the corners okay and he appears to have come through it well. Even though he was nominated for tomorrow’s meeting at Alexandra Park (Friday), that was never going to happen,” said co-owner, Barry Lichter.
“We would rather line him up in a 2200m than 2700m , so he will have his first race back in over a year in the next few weeks,” he added.
The Crown Jewels and Chilcott won his first workout back at Cambridge Raceway last Saturday by half a length and six lengths, trotting the up to R50, 2200m event in 3:08.7.
“We are not getting too carried away but we would expect him to beat those maiden horses. It’s encouraging all right, but he still has a bit of a mountain to climb yet,” said Auckland-based Lichter, who co-owns the gelding with Donna Chisholm (Auckland), Neslisa Turan (Cambridge), David Lichter (New York), Garry Ferris (Auckland), Gary Birkett (Auckland), and Philip Taylor (Auckland).
Lichter and the Chisholms (Donna, Alan, and Graham) did the breeding. The Crown Jewels has so far won two of his 24 starts and placed in seven others for $21,217 in stakes.
Lichter said the gelding had undergone arthroscopic surgery, which is a surgical procedure on the stifle joint. An endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision.
“He’s always had a bit of ability and it’s just so good to see him back on the track again after a year off. In some ways that is success in itself because it didn’t look good there for a while.
“Nicky’s intensive around-the-clock care has got him back to where he is now. All the praise has to go to her. I can’t stress that enough. She is a brilliant horsewoman,” Lichter said.
Lichter said the arthroscopic surgery discovered the stifle problem.
“You couldn’t see the problem but the ligament was definitely damaged. Then he had to go through a very strict procedure. He was boxed in a very small box for three months and then he graduated to a small yard
“He has done a lot of treadmill work at thoroughbred trainer Gary Alton’s and has been trained on the beach at Raglan which has unquestionably helped him in his comeback. It’s all about keeping the pressure off his joints. At this stage and then hopefully he can build up to becoming a race horse again,” Lichter said.
“It’s just good to have a the old horse almost back again, but you can’t get too excited after what he’s been through,” he added.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
