Horse racing: Return journey proves tough for Old Town Road

Old Town Road's return has proved tough.

Trainer John Dickie is convinced Old Town Road’s Auckland Cup campaign is back on track. But he says getting him back from the track might be the problem.

The Race by Grins runner-up has not been seen since that event, and Dickie said his absence is partially due to developing the most unusual of problems.

“He has become a bit of a bad traveller - but not when going to the races, only coming home,” said Dickie. “His last two starts have been at Cambridge and both times he has gone down with [horse transporters] Majestic because he seems to travel better in the big transporters than my truck.

“So it hasn’t affected his racing so much but both times he has got very upset coming home.

“The drivers can see what is going in the back of the trucks because they have cameras and he gets very worked up and never stops moving the whole time and when the truck stops at a stop sign, he half rears up.

“When he got home after The Race by Grins we had to hose him down after the trip because had got so worked up.”

While that could take a lot out of a horse, Dickie said it inadvertently led to the discovery of a small issue which was treated, hence seeing Old Town Road miss the Taylor Mile and Messenger.

“He kicked out and knocked his fetlock and it was nothing serious but when we got the vet to it we discovered a small issue just on the side of the fetlock,” he said.

“It was nothing serious but we took that opportunity to treat it and he is fine now.”

Old Town Road’s next three trips will be shorter, the next being to the Pukekohe workouts in 10 days’ time before he resumes in the Roy Purdon on May 19 followed by the Auckland Cup on May 26.

“Then he can have a good long spell and get ready for next season and hopefully his first year at this level will help him develop.”

Dickie takes his very talented trotter That’s What We Do to Alexandra Park tonight and says while the 4-year-old has a big motor, race four will present an interesting mental challenge for him.

“He is on a 15-metre handicap over 2200 metres but three of his four wins have come in mobile starts,” explained Dickie. “I think he will eventually be a good standing start horse but being off 15 metres over 2200 metres while he is still learning won’t be easy.”

Tonight’s meeting is set to have a host of short-priced favourites, headlined by unbeaten filly Millwood Nike (race seven), while her also-unbeaten stablemate High Energy will be very short on her northern debut in the $27,000 What The Hill Northern Trotting Oaks.

“She didn’t handle the right-handed track at the workouts last weekend perfectly but we have worked on that and I think she will be fine this week and very hard to beat,” says High Energy’s co-trainer Mark Purdon.