The long wait for connections of Lucky Liberty is almost over with the talented but injury-plagued gelding ready to race for the first time in 18 months at Sandown.
The winner of three of his five starts and rated by Henry Dwyer as talented a horse as he’s trained, Lucky Liberty hasn’t raced since emerging from his unplaced run in the 2015 Group One Australian Guineas with a bone chip in his near-front knee.
After time off to recover from that injury, Lucky Liberty was back in work when he suffered a stress fracture in his off-front shoulder and needed another extended stint on the sidelines.
The five-year-old returns in Wednesday’s Ladbrokes Cash In Handicap (1200m).
“He’s obviously a horse with a pretty chequered injury past so we’ve just wanted to bring him along slow and steady, which we have,” Dwyer said.
“We’ve had him nominated a couple of times for races over the past four weeks and every time we’ve just galloped him and looked and seen how he has pulled up.
“And finally he’s at the stage now where we’re happy to go to a race with him and confident he’ll get through it well.
“So tomorrow is the day.”
Lucky Liberty’s wins have come at Mornington, Sale and Flemington at his first three starts.
He ruined his chances in the C S Hayes Stakes when he bucked at the start then came out of the Guineas with the knee injury.
Dwyer has been been happy with the gelding’s work and how he’s been pulling up and said the midweek 1200m race is a good starting point.
If Lucky Liberty stands up to the pressures of racing Dwyer is hoping he might be a Stradbroke Handicap candidate next year.
“I’ve been very hesitant to look in the calendar, just so he can get through tomorrow and then we can work out a plan from there,” Dwyer said.
“Longer term if he does stand up to the racing, then I’ve got the idea of Brisbane next year with him,” he said.
Dwyer has Foreign Affair in Wednesday’s Hyland Race Colours Handicap and is hopeful she can go one better than her seconds at her past two starts.
