Dolphin Jo will return to racing at Moonee Valley for trainer Terry O’Sullivan
The gelding was last seen in April last year at Caulfield where he injured his near fore tendon in what trainer Terry O’Sullivan thought would be his last race.
“I wasn’t sure if he would come back but be was galloping around the paddock and he looked pretty good so we put him back into work,” O’Sullivan said.
“He had a jump out at Horsham and a jump out at Hamilton the other day on heavy ground and came through both of those pretty well so we have thrown him in a race.
“He’s happy back in work but I expect him to take two or three runs to come up as he has never won a race shorter than 2200m”
O’Sullivan also said that he had no concrete plans for Dolphin Jo, who has raced just seven times since October 2008.
“There are no set plans with him and we just hope he stands up and can get into some of those longer handicap races,” O’Sullivan said.
“We are not thinking he will be running in this year’s Melbourne Cup. We will just play it by ear and if he can get into a race like the Lavazza Long Black on Melbourne Cup day that would be terrific.”
Dolphin Jo’s last win came in the Group Two Winning Edge Stakes at Caulfield in October 2008. He’s other most notable win was in the VRC St Ledger as a three year old in 2006.
Dolphin Jo is also a two time runner in the Melbourne Cup. In 2006 he finished 15th behind Japanese pair Delta Blues and Pop Rock, while in 2007 he produced a solid run to finish fifth behind Efficient. He missed a spot in the 2008 Melbourne Cup after sustaining an injury in the Caulfield Cup.
O’Sullivan said that he would not push Dolphin Jo too hard in his comeback preparation.
“He’s a lovely old horse who has given the owners a lot of fun, but if he is not coming up we will retire him.”
Dolphin Jo, who has won 5 races in 46 starts and amassed $680,000 in prize money, will start in the Geoff Torney Cup over 1600m at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
As could probably be expected, Dolphin Jo is the outsider of the field at $101.
