Forgotten Star Back On Track
Think back to the 2019 WA Derby.
Major Trojan was brilliant in winning.
Bletchley Park was runner-up and has since acquitted himself brilliantly at the highest level.
There wasn’t room for Shockwave in the placings that night and he now sits comfortably as the second-best pacer in the State behind Chicago Bull.
Patrickthepiranha, Eloquent Mach, Gee Jay Kay and Sangue Reale have all shown their fair share of ability as well.
Given the deeds of that group, it would be easy to overlook the third-placed horse in that Derby.
The third-placed horse that night was Franco Edward and he’s out to make up for lost time.
One could argue Franco Edward has already done enough to justify being labelled with star status, given he won the Pearl Classic and Golden Slipper as a two-year-old.
The son of American Ideal is on the comeback trail with Kim Prentice and all indications point to a racetrack return soon and a chance to show why he was and still could be one of the best pacers in this State.
Now under the care of Prentice, it has been a slow burn for Franco Edward, who hasn’t raced since winning a heat of the three-year-old Pearl Classic on May 7, 2019.
Prentice, who picked up Franco Edward from the vet after his tendon injury, said the five-year-old had to overcome more than just a tendon injury in his bid to return to the track.
“He had to have 12 months off originally with the tendon injury,” he told The Trots WA.
“We then did six weeks light jog work with him, followed by six weeks in the paddock.
“We bought him back for six more weeks light jog work and he fractured a shoulder in that time.
“He had to have around three or four months off after that.
“It’s just been rehab with him since then and he’s been in work now for eight weeks.”
Franco Edward built up an imposing record of 11 wins and five placings from 18 starts under the tutelage of Kyle Harper.
Prentice said he was excited about the prospect of unleashing his acquisition but warned there’s still more hurdles to clear yet.
“I’m very happy with him but there’s still a long way to go,” he said.
“I hope to have him ready to trial in six weeks and then cross our fingers.
“It will depend on him whether he has more than one trial or goes to the races.
“Mitch (Miller) has been driving him and said he was pretty laid back early on.
“The last few times he’s driven him though he said he was starting to remember what racing is all about.
“He’s a beautiful horse to have around the stable.”
The return of Franco Edward could offset the potential loss of Prentice’s recent Free-For-All winner Extradite, who looks destined to head to the USA.
Prentice said Extradite had passed the vet test but was waiting for the sale to go through.
Tim Walker
Image – Hamilton Content Creators
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