The Leon, Troy and Will Larkin team have worked tirelessly with the talented but fragile galloper Baraqiel, who has again been cleared to race.
The seven-year-old gelding has endured a chequered career with ongoing leg setbacks restricting him to just 10 starts, though he has managed to win six of them.
Baraqiel was due to resume in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 26 but was withdrawn after Racing Victoria vets judged him lame in a pre-race trot. That would have been his first outing since running third in The Meteorite (1200m) at Cranbourne last November.
Following discussions between the stable, their vet and Racing Victoria officials, the gelding has now been reinstated to compete and is set to line up in the Listed Norman Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley this Saturday.
Larkin admitted the Caulfield decision was disappointing. “He’s had his share of issues so he was never going to look perfect trotting up,” he said. “The vets didn’t know him, so on first glance it was understandable but very frustrating.”
Baraqiel’s career has already been delayed by both tendon and suspensory injuries, but recent scans showed no lingering problems. “He’s passed everything we’ve asked of him,” Larkin said. “Our vet knows him inside out and would never pass him unless he was sound.”
The gelding sharpened up with a strong jump-out win at Flemington on August 8 and looks primed for his return. “He’s come through that really well so he should be competitive,” Larkin added.
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