Lankan Rupee Nearing Return

Five-time Group 1 winner Lankan Rupee (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), off the track since suffering a suspensory ligament injury after finishing fourth in the G1 Darley Classic at Flemington last November, is nearing a return to action. The 7-year-old pleased trainer Mick Price when he finished third under Craig Newitt in a 700m barrier trial at Caulfield on Tuesday. Price is hoping the gelding will be fit to run in the G3 Bletchingly S. at Caulfield July 29. “This morning was his first trial in a long time,” Price told Racing.com. “He is fit enough to trial, and I'm going to think about running him in the Bletchingly Stakes. I'm not saying he's fit enough to win the Bletchingly, we just needed to know that he's happy to hit-out in his trials. According to Craig [Newitt] he was happy with that part of it and he was happy with his last furlong.”

Lankan Rupee enjoyed a glorious year on the track in 2014 when he won four Group 1 races, three consecutively in the autumn when he bagged the G1 Oakleigh Plate, the G1 Newmarket H. and the G1 T.J. Smith S. before adding the G1 Manikato S. later that year. He gained his fifth top level victory in the 2015 G1 Black Caviar Lightning S. at Flemington which was also the last time he graced the winner's circle. Given his long absence off the track Price expects plenty of improvement and is keen to trial Lankan Rupee again next week. “He needs to be fitter, he needs to be more tuned-up. We've had him in work a while but we've been slowly but surely bringing him back. We've nursed him along gallop by gallop. Race day tells all but at this stage I am happy enough with him,” Price said.