Sidelined Henderson hoping for Cup victory

[Wandering Eyes]

Rua Rocks will contest the Te Aroha Cup (2200m) on Monday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Carl Henderson is on the sidelines with a broken ankle and he is hoping Rua Rocks can boost his spirits when he heads to Te Aroha on Monday to contest the Te Aroha Cup (2200m).

Henderson spent a couple of weeks in the hospital earlier this month after being dislodged from a horse and fracturing his leg, which subsequently required surgery, and has put him on the sidelines for an extended period of time.

“I fell off one (horse) and fractured it (ankle) in three places and dislocated it, so I have been in hospital for a couple of weeks,” Henderson said.

“They have put rods and pins in there, it looks like a bit of a meccano set in my leg at the moment. It is going to be a bit of a long process.

“I have got no weight bearing for six weeks and then maybe another two or three months after that as well just to get back to full strength. I am just taking it really easy at the moment.”

While racing is heading into the quieter winter months, things were just starting to ramp up for Henderson’s Te Awamutu stable when the incident occurred.

“We do a lot of ready to runners, and they were all in the stable, so we have had to cull a few numbers out and farm a few out to other people,” he said.

“It wasn’t a great time to happen, but that is horses for you.”

Henderson said his wife Cassie and staff members have been a huge help in his absence, and he is hoping that they can be rewarded for their hard work with a positive result from Rua Rocks on Monday.

The son of El Roca was runner-up at Te Rapa last start on a Heavy 8 track, and Henderson is hoping he can go one better at Te Aroha, which was rated a Heavy 8 on Friday morning.

“I am really happy with him,” Henderson said.

“He is not very big, as everybody knows, and it was a great run last start, he didn’t deserve to finish where he did after his tough run, with the other horse taking him on. We are quite excited about Monday.

“The (Heavy) track does worry me a little bit. He is a small horse, but he has got a huge stride on him, so he doesn’t love wet ground, but he has won in wet ground before.

“I watched him work just before and we are really happy with him. A little bit extra distance is certainly going to help him.”

While hoping for a positive outcome on Monday, Henderson was buoyed at his local trials on Thursday where his promising three-year-old Aspark Park was runner-up in his 1150m heat, and he will look to make his raceday debut in the coming month.

“I had a horse trial yesterday that goes well. He is one of Ben Kwok’s horses and he is quite an exciting horse,” Henderson said.

“He may have one more trial, he still has a bit to learn, but I do think a lot of him. He cruised up to them yesterday and didn’t quite know how to win. He will probably trial again at Rotorua and then we will look to go to the races with him. I think that he has got a bit of a future.”

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