Five-year-old stayer Muramasa is on track to compete in Saturday’s $750,000 Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Caulfield after meeting Racing Victoria’s stringent veterinary clearance requirements.
The gelding was withdrawn from the Melbourne Cup following a mandatory CT scan on October 28, which revealed a heightened risk of injury.
Subsequent assessments, including a PET scan on November 7, determined that Muramasa was fit to train and race under strict monitoring.
“Reports received from an expert panel of internationally renowned equine surgeons and diagnostic imaging specialists, who reviewed Muramasa’s CT scan results, indicated that the gelding was at heightened risk of injury at that time” stated Racing Victoria, but the PET scan confirmed he could return to competition with ongoing oversight.
Muramasa successfully completed a 1000m jumpout on November 18, satisfying the first step in Racing Victoria’s return-to-racing protocol.
To compete in the Zipping Classic, his connections must provide a final veterinary clearance, and Racing Victoria stewards will conduct a race-day inspection.
A last-start placegetter in the Geelong Cup, Muramasa is among 21 nominations for the Zipping Classic.
Muramasa is an $8 chance in all in markets with new betting sites for the Zipping Classic 2024.
