Julius, the runner-up in the Group 1 Railway at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, deserves a special mention … not just because he gave his all and was brave in defeat, but because of the back story to his career that everybody thought was already well and truly over back in late 2018.
In October 2018 Julius was officially retired after a scan showed him to have a hole in his near-fore tendon seemingly leaving trainer John Bell no option but to make that retirement call. Julius at that stage had won six of thirteen starts and been placed on the other seven occasions.