Latest scans give “Artie” green light

Champion pacer Lochinvar Art is being aimed for a racing comeback early next year.

“Our vets are very pleased with everything, and they are saying the latest scans show that the horse is 100 per cent sound,” elated owner Kevin Gordon said yesterday.

“He’s had a decent spell now and David (driver David Moran) always believed that time would be the key to getting the injury to heal.”

Lochinvar Art (Modern Art-Ponder In Paris (Ponder) hasn’t raced since a stunning victory in the $500,000 Del-Re National Hunter Cup at TABcorp Park Melton on February 6 – his seventh Group 1 feature win.

The pacer was in New South Wales being aimed at the Newcastle Mile and then the Miracle Mile in March when he developed a serious hoof abscess. Further scans revealed a cracked cannon bone.

Gordon then decided on a one-off stud season while Lochinvar Art was doing rehab at Cobbitty Equine Farm, owned by Luke and Belinda McCarthy.

“Luke only just told me the other day that ‘Artie’ looked a picture and was jumping out of his skin,” Gordon said.

“The horse has been doing water walking and swimming. They have all the first class facilities up there, so he’s certainly being well-looked after.

“I think Luke is planning to start trackwork at the end of this month-in between the horse serving mares.”

Gordon said the plan was then to transfer Lochinvar Art back to Moran, who is based at Kialla, near Shepparton, in early December.

“In a perfect world we would love to have him sound and up and going for the Shepparton Gold Cup, which we won in January this year,” he said.

“Artie” has a brilliant career record of 28 wins from only 50 starts for earnings of more than $1.3 million. A few months ago, an unbelievable four-year-old season (13 wins from 19 starts) saw him awarded the Victorian Horse Of The Year for 2019-20.

Moran selected Lochinvar Art for Gordon at a NSW Ready to Run sale in December 2017, going under the hammer at $29,000.

Just nine months earlier, a massive opportunity went begging at the annual Bathurst Yearling Sale-when “Artie”, Lot 17, could only attract some small-time bidding and was passed in at $9000.

Hoofnote: Cobbitty Equine Farm posted last night that the first Lochinar Art-sired pregnancy had been confirmed. Bookings are still available and more information is available by contacting Belinda McCarthy at belinda@cobbittyequine.com.au

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink