Tony McEvoy didn't think there was a lot between Hey Doc and Lessyd
During their two-year-old season trainer Tony McEvoy didn’t think there was a lot between Hey Doc and Lessyd.
While Hey Doc progressed to win the Group One Australian Guineas in the autumn after running third in the Caulfield Guineas in the spring, Lessyd’s three-year-old season has so far been restricted to one run.
He lines up for his second outing of the season in the L V Lachal Handicap (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Lessyd had the measure of Hey Doc in two runs as a two-year-old, defeating him at Flemington in January last year before running third in the Inglis Premier at Caulfield the following month in which Hey Doc was fourth.
The gelding returned in the middle of the year but after two runs, the latest when finishing at the tail of the field at Flemington in August, he was sent for a long break.
McEvoy said there were no outward signs for Lessyd’s disappointing performances.
“He was working well but his races were terrible,” McEvoy said.
“We sent him off for scintigraphy and they found him to have a bit of condylar bone pain which seems to be a common thing these days.
“It’s basically jarring up in his joints.”
McEvoy said there was nothing to do surgically to improve Lessyd’s condition.
The best medicine was time to allow the joints to settle down.
“He’s come back great but then he was working great last time also,” McEvoy said.
“He wouldn’t stretch out for us last time but hopefully he’ll do that this time around.
“He’s been in a couple of trials and has has had some strong gallops and everything seems fine at this stage.”
McEvoy won’t push Lessyd too far at this stage, hoping to see him get back to the form he showed as a two-year-old when he had trouble splitting Lessyd and Hey Doc.
“He’s got some good form and he’s beaten Hey Doc twice, so that tells you something that he’s got the ability,” McEvoy said.
“As two-year-olds there was nothing between the pair.
“I couldn’t split them and obviously Hey Doc has gone on and made all the improvement and hopefully this fella can too.”
