PAUL Messara has been sending Leicester Square over logs this week in a bid to re-ignite the horse’s interest in racing prior to today’s $15,000 Ranvet Christmas Cup (1300m).
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Leicester Square has not won since taking out this race last year but he has had only a handful of starts since as Messara tries to find the missing piece in the puzzle.
“I fear he might be tired and has lost interest in racing,” Messara said.
“Putting him over some logs might sharpen him up a bit but if he doesn’t start showing some form soon he might be headed for retirement.”
The Scone trainer is seeking successive Friday wins after Ergo won at last Friday’s Mudgee Cup program.
Messara will also start promising three-year-old Battlefront in the Horsepower Benchmark 60 (900m) and Relay in the Segenhoe’s Fairlight Spelling Complex Maiden (1100m).
All three will be ridden by Mitchell Bell, who also powered Ergo to victory at Mudgee.
o Scone trainer Greg Bennett and his vets are still mystified as to why Pro Consul displayed heart arrhythmia after running last at Randwick on Melbourne Cup day but the horse returns to racing at Scone today with a clean bill of health.
Pro Consul, to be ridden by Grant Buckley, resumes in today’s Inglis Triple Crown Is Alive On Guineas Day Benchmark 65 (1100m) after winning a trial at Muswellbrook last month.
“The horse is fine and the vets don’t know why it happened,” Bennett said.
“He had an ECG and that showed that his heart had not suffered any damage so we can continue on with his preparation.
“He has been receiving a treatment for his muscles which of course includes his heart just to make sure we cover all bases.”
Pro Consul is a horse Bennett has high hopes for, with four wins from only nine starts, including the Segenhoe Stud Class Two (1300m) on Scone Cup day.
Bennett will also start Clickety Snip (Paul Hammersley) in the Ranvet Christmas Cup (1300m) and Rossarita (Hammersley) and Quick Spur (Kassie Furness) in the Equilaw Class One (1300m).
Clickety Snip is headed back to Randwick on Boxing Day after this race as Bennett battles to find the right races for him.
“This is a quick back-up for Clickety Snip after his run at Canterbury but this is the right race for him and he only has 54.5kgs,” Bennett said.
“Quick Spur’s first-up run at Wyong was good and this is a winnable race for him.”
Bennett’s staff will saddle up his Scone runners with the trainer in Sydney today and again tomorrow.
He will start Limitation at Canterbury Park tonight and Kaypers tomorrow on the Kensington track at Randwick.
