Promising stayer Sandberg has gone amiss and Yallingup has gone to Melbourne but trainer Guy Walter has plenty to look forward to with Al Dhafra.The owners of the Carbine Club Stakes winner knocked back a high six figure sum from Hong Kong and elected to keep Al Dhafra in Australia with Walter.The three-year-old winner of five of his seven starts is back in work at Warwick Farm getting ready for a late spring and summer campaign."The owners knocked back a substantial offer and elected to keep hi

Promising stayer Sandberg has gone amiss and Yallingup has gone to Melbourne but trainer Guy Walter has plenty to look forward to with Al Dhafra.

The owners of the Carbine Club Stakes winner knocked back a high six figure sum from Hong Kong and elected to keep Al Dhafra in Australia with Walter.

The three-year-old winner of five of his seven starts is back in work at Warwick Farm getting ready for a late spring and summer campaign.

"The owners knocked back a substantial offer and elected to keep him here," Walter said.

"At the moment we are looking at races in both Sydney and Melbourne and perhaps the Villiers Stakes in December.

"He will probably race towards the second half of the spring carnival but we'll see how he's coming along."

His presence helps fill the gaps left by the departure of Yallingup, who will do his future racing in Melbourne, and promising stayer Sandberg who is out with a joint injury.

The winner of the Frank Packer Plate in April 2009, Yallingup has failed to recapture his three-year-old form and it was agreed a change of scenery might help.

"He has gone to Melbourne," Walter said.

"He hadn't been racing with a lot of zest."

Yallingup's best performance since his Packer Plate win has been a closing fourth to Rock Kingdom in the Epsom Handicap.

Sandberg emerged early this year as a stayer of promise but will miss the spring.

"He has a slight joint problem and will miss the spring but hopefully we can look at the autumn with him," Walter said.

By Carnegie, Sandberg is out of La Zabaglione, a daughter of the late Whisked, the dam of star galloper Tie The Knot who was trained by Walter to win 13 Group One races.

Like Tie The Knot, Sandberg is raced by Sandy Tait and his sister Jill Nivison who also have Hood in work with Walter.

Hood is the second last foal left by Whisked who died last spring after suffering complications when giving birth to a Strategic filly.

"Hood is back in work but we haven't yet worked out his program," Walter said.

Hood has one win and three placings from his six start career.