A minor leg injury has forced Oakleigh Plate winner Swiss Ace out of the Melbourne spring carnival.Swiss Ace was being aimed at the Group One Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 25.The five-year-old was scheduled to make his Melbourne return in the McEwen Stakes on September 12 but will now undergo minor surgery on Thursday to remove a small chip from his near-side front splint bone."He's not lame and it's not serious and if it was another horse he could still race," trainer Mick Mair

A minor leg injury has forced Oakleigh Plate winner Swiss Ace out of the Melbourne spring carnival.

Swiss Ace was being aimed at the Group One Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 25.

The five-year-old was scheduled to make his Melbourne return in the McEwen Stakes on September 12 but will now undergo minor surgery on Thursday to remove a small chip from his near-side front splint bone.

"He's not lame and it's not serious and if it was another horse he could still race," trainer Mick Mair said.

"It's just bad timing."

Swiss Ace carried 68 kilograms in his comeback when he dead-heated with That's Better in a four-horse field over 1000 metres on the grass track at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.

Mair had precautionary X-rays taken on the suspect leg on Monday after noticing some heat in the affected area.

"He's had it for a while but I've kept putting it off," he said.

"He's always been a bit funny in front and a small fragment has snapped off and is floating around."

Mair believes Swiss Ace will only need up to eight weeks to recover from surgery.

"He'll have a normal spell after he has surgery on Thursday and I'll probably get him ready for the winter races again next year," he said.

Mair wasn't disappointed with Swiss Ace's performance when he shared first prize with That's Better, an eight-year-old winner of eight races who is also trained at Caloundra.

"He overraced a bit early and fought (jockey) Ken Pope but with 68 kilos you can't let him rip," Mair said.

"The run was very good considering he gave away 11-1/2 kilos and I don't think his leg problem had any effect on him."

Meanwhile, trainer Jason McLachlan is still at a loss to explain Phelan Ready's flop in the Group One Golden Rose at Rosehill last Saturday.

Phelan Ready, who was named last season's champion two-year-old in Melbourne on Monday night, was always near the rear of the field finishing 14th to boom colt Denman in the 1400-metre feature.

"He's never run a bad race in his life and I can't pinpoint what went wrong," McLachlan said.

"I just hope he had an off day."

McLachlan ordered a thorough veterinary examination of Phelan Ready following the Golden Rose but nothing was found amiss.

"The vet went all over him from head to toe and couldn't find anything wrong," McLachlan said.

McLachlan is pressing ahead with Phelan Ready's spring plans which are aimed at next month's Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m).