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| Staff Writer |
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He's raced just once in the past year, but young Queensland-based trainer Billy Healey says we shouldn't forget Alligator Blood.
Back in work on the Sunshine Coast, the popular galloper is nearing a much-anticipated return to the track at Eagle Farm early next month.
It's been a turbulent few months for Healey with the former David Vandyke-trained galloper suffering a serious injury setback which required back surgery, then uncertainty over his training future with a move south to the yard of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott touted.
But the outside noise didn't faze Healey.
If you read into that stuff you might start doing things a bit different," he said.
With his immediate future secured under Healey, the young horseman hopes the popular gelding can return to his eye-catching best after Gr.1 success early last year.
After being disqualified from last year's Magic Millions 3YO Guineas on the Gold Coast, Healey hopes a return to the Summer Carnival will be more successful and less controversial for Alligator Blood this time around.
"For now, Magic Millions looks like a reasonable target, obviously there's a lot of money on offer," Healey said.
From there, Healey hopes the horse can return to Melbourne, where he's had so much success, and the cult figure would no doubt be a popular All-Star Mile entrant.