An extended spell is on the agenda for Paul Messara’s Group 3 winner Panzer Division who is set to miss the entire Sydney and Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival season later this year.
Panzer Division has been ruled out of a spring return with further time needed to recover from a knee fracture. Photo: Steve Hart.
The three-year-old Redoute’s Choice colt has to date won two of his seven starts, most notably posting a one and a quarter-length victory over subsequent Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win in the Group 3 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) at Randwick in September last year.
He hasn’t won again since but was far from disgraced in his two Group 1 targets back at Royal Randwick later that campaign when fifth in both the George Main Stakes behind Sacred Falls and the Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes behind Hampton Court.
Spelled after that, Panzer Division returned to racing this summer for a first-up fourth behind Chris Waller’s French import Weary in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) when beaten just over a length at Rosehill on January 31.
Last start the young galloper ran seventh to Hallowed Crown in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) back at Rosehill Gardens with Tommy Berry in the saddle for the first time on February 21.
His autumn was cut short after that run however with a serious knee injury suffered during the Hobartville ruling him out of a further run.
Originally plans were to bring the classy type back for a shot at the spring riches but the extent of the stress fracture and recovery time was underestimated and he now requires a longer break than first intended.
Messara now serves as the general manager of Arrowfield Stud and has just five horses in work now to help accommodate his growing workload in that position.
Along with Panzer Division his headliners are Scissor Kick and Rekindled Power.
Both of those horses are on track for big spring returns and are about to kick off their preparations, Redoute’s Choice colt Scissor Kick to be raced in Victoria this time in.
The rising four-year-old has had a dozen starts for a quartet of wins so far, the most recent of which was his victory over Delectation in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill in early February.
Runner-up to Hallowed Crown in the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) last spring in Sydney, Scissor Kick was last seen running in two elite level races during the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
The first was a credible fifth when two and a half lengths off upset winner Hot Snitzel in the BTC Cup (1200m) before he was jarred up during a disappointing 12th to Chris Waller’s Boban in the Doomben 10,000 (1350m) on May 23.
Scissor Kick was immediately spelled post-10,000 run and his major Melbourne targets are later in the spring and are likely to include a shot at the $1 million Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on Emirates Stakes Day, November 7.
“Scissor Kick jarred up a little after the Doomben 10,000 so we have given him a good break,” Messara told The Sunday Telegraph.
“We are looking to get him ready for the back half of the spring carnival.”
Fellow Redoute’s Choice colt Rekindled Power meanwhile is still a non-black-type winner seven runs in, his best effort so far a third in the lucrative Group 2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) at Randwick during April’s The Championships.
His last run was an 11th in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1350m) at Doomben on May 23, an effort Messara hopes he runs better than upon his return.
“Rekindled Power has had a couple of weeks off and is due to come back into work shortly,” he said last weekend.
“He’s a horse I think with a big future.”
