Empires Choice back on track
Ballina racehorse owner Vic Gwynne is a happier man these days — Empires Choice, the horse he owns in a syndicate, has recovered from Equine Influenza.
Vic, the ‘lollipop’ man for Southern Cross K-12 school at the East Ballina Shopping Centre pedestrian crossing, was devastated last August when the Bart Cummings-trained Empires Choice was struck down with the equine virus at Randwick.
After major wins in Queensland, including the Derby, Empires Choice was being set for the Caulfield and Melbourne cups and the Cox Plate, and was rated a chance by Vic and the other owners.
Vic says the horse has now fully recovered, and is fitter and better than ever before.
Empires Choice will resume in Sydney on February 23, having his first start in about eight months.
The main target for Empires Choice will be the rich BMW, a Group One event at Rosehill on Golden Slipper day on April 19. The race is a weight-for-age 2400m event and carries prizemoney of $2.25 million.
“I’m getting excited,” Vic said of the horse’s impending return to racing.
