Quality trotter Picketts Ridge is back at the workouts after nearly a year away from racing.
The six year old gelding has won four of it’s ten starts, has been placed four other times and is looking as though he could progress into the best grade.
He last raced at the Riverton meeting at Ascot Park in November, winning for trainer John Ryan and driver Nathan Williamson.
“He trotted really badly when he won at Riverton. He was virtually galloping in behind and trotting in front. He had an old injury in a cannon bone in one of his back legs. It was hard and calloused but all of a sudden it turned to sponge. We tried all kinds of treatments in the first month as the horse carried on working. We couldn’t get all the inflammation to go away so we just turned him out and let nature take it’s course. He was on a 100 acre block on the hills by the repeater station for six months,” said Ryan.
The son of Skyvalley has been in work for 12 weeks and he won at yesterday’s Wyndham workouts.
“I was really pleased. He was a wee bit aggressive and fresh.”
Ryan says it appears there won’t be many races for Picketts Ridge which carries a R75 rating in the early part of the new season, so he may have to travel north. He’s got his fingers crossed that the gelding’s leg will hold up and that he won’t be subjected to any more injuries.
“I put plenty of water on it when we hose him down as well as ice treatment.”
Bruce Stewart