Patience an Elixir For Trainer Pike

New Zealand trainer Tony Pike hopes his patience with Gr1 winner Sacred Elixir (Pour Moi-Baltika, by Stravinsky) will provide a fairy tale, reports racingnews.co.nz. The 7YO gelding won the Gr1 JJ Atkins as a 2YO, then ran second in the Gr1 VRC Derby at threre. Sent to Hong Kong in the middle of 2017, Sacred Elixir injured a tendon at his second start and was returned to New Zealand. Three long years of rehabilitation later, and the gelding has now had three starts back including a second placing in the Gr3 Anniversary Handicap last Saturday. "It's never easy getting those horses back, and he's a very big horse as well, which makes it even more difficult. The team of vets and the staff at home have done a great job to get him back, and if he can get a win it will be a real fairy tale," Pike said. The aim is to send Sacred Elixir to an open handicap at Pukekohe at the end of the month before targeting the Gr1 Herbie Dyke Stakes over 2000m.

Gr1 winner Sacred Elixir's comeback continues (pic: Steve Hart)