Far From Ideal Start To Life With Young
By the time Flying Mister Ideal has his first start for David Young in tonight’s Follow Pacing For Pink WA On Instagram Pace (2503m), he would’ve endured more setbacks in the past six months than some standardbreds would have had in their careers.
Young acquired the six-year-old soon after his last start for Greg and Skye Bond last November and tonight will be the culmination of a long and gruelling process to get him back to the track.
He won four of 20 starts for the Bond stable, who purchased him from New Zealand in the second half of 2019.
Young said he had always been interested in the gelding.
“I was having a chat to Ryan (Warwick) at the races and asked him if there was anything they were going to sell,” Young told The Trots WA.
“He was one of two that I liked and when he won what was basically his M0 at Pinjarra they said I could have him.
“So I called the owner Robert Dower and said we should give him a go because his New Zealand form is too good not to take a punt on.”
Young had Flying Mister Ideal scanned as a precaution soon after he purchased him, which revealed a small fracture in his splint bone and meant eight weeks in the paddock.
He then had to have that operated on and needed a further six weeks out.
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Flying Mister Ideal had a trackwork mishap soon after his recovery from the extended time off and two days later he cut his leg on a fence, at which point Young thought he was going to lose his new acquisition.
He was able to get Flying Mister Ideal to the trials at Pinjarra by May 26, followed by a second trial on June 9.
It was at last month’s trial he dropped a knee boot, which resulted in significant swelling above his knee.
Young said he was surprised how Flying Mister Ideal had come through all the setbacks.
“He’s never been sore, despite everything going wrong for him,” he said.
“I was originally disappointed when I watched the second trial, but Aiden was happy with and said he stopped trying when he dropped the boot.
“His work has been good and his heart rate is super.
“He’s probably fitter than I realised.”
Young hasn’t been able to oversee the final stages of Flying Mister Ideal’s preparation.
That’s been left to Barry Guidice, due to Young suffering an extremely rare eye problem.
“About five weeks ago I woke up one morning and my eye didn’t feel right,” Young said.
“I’d been on night shifts at Alcoa, so I didn’t worry about doing anything with it.
“Four days later I was really struggling to see and my blind spot was five times bigger than normal.”
After visits to an optometrist and a specialist, Young ended up in Fremantle Hospital and underwent an operation on his eye.
“I had a torn retina and there was a risk I was going to lose my eyesight,” Young said.
“The doctor said it was a one in one hundred thousand problem for someone my age.
“Luckily it was torn where it was because if it was torn on the other side there was only a two per cent chance of saving my eyesight.
“It will be four months before I can work again as my vision is still a bit blurry.”
While it’s been a tough effort for Flying Mister Ideal to get to the track, he may need to be even tougher when he lines up in tonight’s Standing Start event.
Flying Mister Ideal is one of three runners to start off the 10m line, while Golden Nugget winner Minstrel is the major danger off the 30m line.
Young said he was hopeful his charge could figure in the finish.
“Clearly Minstrel will be hard to beat on paper,” he said.
“If he brings his New Zealand form though he can definitely run in the top two.
“We will look to sit him up and get him to run home.
“He’s one to keep an eye on though.”
Without doubt Young will be looking forward to getting back to work and having both eyes fixed firmly on a pacer he described as “the best he’s got”.
Tim Walker
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