Trainer Rod Therres told Trot Insider yesterday evening that plans are underway to send North America Cup eligible Primary Purpose to Ontario
.
“I’m looking for a couple more horses to travel with him,” said Therres, a resident of Surrey, B.C. “He was supposed to leave last Monday but a couple of horses backed out so now I’m just training him here and hoping to get him to Casie [Coleman] by Monday or Tuesday or he’s going to miss the Diplomat on the 25th.”
The three-year-old Cammibest colt, who is also eligible for the Confederation Cup, the Upper Canada Cup and the Ontario Sires Stakes, started his sophomore season with a close second-place finish during the National Driving Championship card in rein to Ontario reinsman Paul MacDonell.
“[Paul] said I would know more in a couple of starts and he said he thought Primary Purpose had the grit to try him [in Ontario] because he kind of hit the bike in that race and hurt himself, then he got out of it and raced pretty good, just got beat.”
Since then, Primary Purpose won his Sandown Plate elimination in 1:56.1 and finished second to Camblazer in the final.
“He had a reaction to a vitamin jug the vet gave him going into the race and I didn’t even know if was going to race so I was pretty happy with second. He wasn’t steering well in that race so we got him checked out. We fluoroscoped all four legs and he vetted out good. Then I qualified him in 1:56.3 in the mud and he was steering way better in the qualifier.
“I’ll probably qualify him again if I can’t get him flown out before the weekend. Friday or Saturday I’ll probably qualify him again and hope Brian at Doyle Air Transport finds him a ride. I really want to fly him - less chance of sickness.”
While Primary Purpose will be heading to Ontario soon, Therres says he will not be joined by his stablemate, Royal Morn, just yet.
“Royal Morn ended up having surgery on his hocks. He had OCD surgery so he will not be coming.”
Therres says the four-year-old Usher Hanover gelding endured two weeks of stall rest following the surgery. Royal Morn has since been hand walking and will spend two weeks in a small paddock at his farm before starting some light training.
“The earliest he could be ready is probably the middle to end of July but there’s no racing here so I’ll have to send him to Toronto if he comes back good,” said Therres. “I'm still thinking about sending Royal Morn but I might wait until we get a few races under him in September and then send him in October or November. Maybe some of them will be tired and he’ll be fresh.”