Crack SA three-year-old colt Hucklebuck will not be seen again during the autumn in either Melbourne or Sydney. Instead he will be aimed at feature races in Brisbane during the Winter Carnival.
Trainer Philip Stokes today told Racing Network the horse pulled up with mucus in his throat after running in the Australian Guineas and had been sent for a four-week spell.
“We’ll give him a break now and have a good look at Brisbane with him,” Stokes said of the horse who started favourite in Saturday’s Group 1 $500,000 Australian Guineas (1600m), won by Shamus Award.
“We settled a few pairs further back than we wanted to on Saturday, but in the end I would have to say there’s a query as to whether he runs a mile or not,” he added.
Stokes said a month off now and then he’d look at races like the $1.35 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
“There are plenty of options up there for him.
"There’s the Stradbroke or any of the better three-year-old races – we won’t have trouble finding a good race for him,” Stokes added.