A leg injury has forced Rich Charm to be scratched from the 2018 Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Rich Charm, above, has been scratched from the 2018 Aurie’s Star Handicap at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Rich Charm was to make his first race track appearance since finishing fourth to Listed $120,000 Straight Six (1200m) at Flemington on May 19 but Cranbourne trainer Udyta Clarke was forced to withdraw the six year old after he suffered a hock injury.
“It’s broken my heart, it’s broken everyone’s heart, I just love him,” Clarke told racing.com.
“I stayed up with him all night just making sure he was okay.
“It was just a little cut after he banged his leg but those hock injuries can be so serious and I’m not taking any chances with him but he seems to have pulled up okay and is a lot better this morning.
“I bandaged up his injury straight away, but he’s had to have antibiotics so there’s no way he could have run on Saturday.”
Rich Charm was well in contention in the betting at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Aurie’s Star Handicap which still has five runners under the $10 mark in the field that has been reduced to nine runners.
The Godolphin English import Home Of The Brave holds a slight advantage at the top of the market order at $3.60 just ahead of the Darren Weir trained Voodoo Lad at $3.70.
Home Of The Brave will be having his first start on Australian soil for James Cummings who expects the import to be competitive after performing well at two recent barrier trials at Rosehill and Randwick, but also admits that the seven year old will take a lot of benefit from the run.
“He’s a racy, sharp style of horse who should have the speed required to be competitive among these horses,” Cummings said.
“While he’s had a solid preliminary foundation for this, he will no doubt show improvement through the run as he gets more accustomed to how races unfold here.”
Home Of The Brave has drawn barrier two with Damian Lane booked to ride while Damien Oliver takes over from Mark Zahra on Voodoo Lad who will jump from gate six.
Voodoo Lad was back in the winner’s stall two starts back with a victory in the Group 3 $150,000 Ladbrokes Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on July 14 and then tried hard but couldn’t match it with Vega Magic when runner up in the Group 3 $150,000 The Big Screen Company Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 28.
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