Yorkshire’s much-anticipated return didn’t deliver the expected spark, and his trainers acknowledge he may still be vulnerable heading into the Festival Stakes at Rosehill.
The five-year-old was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia after finishing last in The Hunter (1300m), a surprising result given his six wins from his previous eight races.
While the market strongly backed him first-up, co-trainer John O’Shea said those expectations didn’t reflect stable confidence, though he thought the run would be much better than it was.
“There was a lot of market support for him, but it wasn’t stable inspired,” O’Shea said.
“We were adamant the horse needed a run or two, although he was never going to run that badly because he had trialled up really well and was going well at home.
“He definitely had cardiac arrhythmia, but it has rectified and his KPI’s post-that have been excellent.”
Yorkshire will undergo final checks before lining up in Saturday’s 1500m feature, but everything so far suggests he is back heading in the right direction.
O’Shea believes the arrhythmia was a random occurrence, one that horses often recover from quickly, and noted the gelding may also have been unsettled by a resaddling behind the barriers.
The stable is treating the Festival Stakes as a stepping stone toward the The Ingham (1600m) next month.
“There is no doubt he has got improvement from Saturday,” he said.
“Saturday is about getting back into the game with a positive run and then allowing us the opportunity to bounce off that into The Ingham.”
Bookmakers still had Yorkshire at the top of the market on Friday at $3.20, with Accredited ($8) and Arctic Glamour ($9.50) the next in betting.
To bet on the Festival Stakes, check the best-value odds at the leading Australian betting sites.