In a training career spanning more than 30 years, Mick Price has come across only one similar instance to the problem that kept Reserve Bank out of action for almost a year.
The winner of The Goodwood prepares for a return via the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday, arriving back at the stable for spring targets when handlers flagged odd behaviour.
“I walked in at four o’clock one morning and the girls said, ‘come and have a look at this’,” Price said.
“He was absolutely shaking life a leaf on the spot, which was really unusual.
“We couldn’t work it out initially. We thought it might have been a vertebrae problem, but it turned out to be Ross River virus based on his blood picture.”
This mosquito-spread virus, often seen in humans, also hits equines, manifesting as fever, swollen joints and sluggishness.
Having trained just one other horse with it, Price recalls that one failing to thrive post-issue, contrasting sharply with Reserve Bank’s positive rehabilitation signs.
“It was a horse called Blazing Harry. He came back and he did not race well, and he didn’t look to bloom,” Price said.
“I don’t have much experience or knowledge with it. I don’t know what to expect. But Blazing Harry, he didn’t have a lot of life looking at him, and this horse looks beautiful.
“I think he just needs racing.”
Last autumn the four-year-old secured three stakes wins in a row, highlighted by his Goodwood conquest.
He holds a fine fresh record yet Price views the Saturday assignment as preparatory and is sceptical about gate two’s prospects.
“The horse is going super, but I can’t picture how he wins a The Galaxy from that inside gate, first-up after a long time,” he said.
“He’s a four-year-old bull. I’m just looking for him to run well and please, and then I’ll work out a program.”
“He just needs to go to the races to bring him on.”
Damian Lane takes the mount on Reserve Bank, quoted at $8.50 in a wide-open betting contest.
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