Alcopop won't be seen again in Sydney this autumn with trainer Jake Stephens deciding to pull up stumps and take him home to South Australia.The gelding was due to contest the Group One BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday but Stephens confirmed the five-year-old would not be among acceptances for the $2.25 million race."We've pulled the pin. He's back home already and he's in the paddock having a spell," Stephens said."He just didn't come up after he got that virus, he was a bit flat and we didn

Alcopop won't be seen again in Sydney this autumn with trainer Jake Stephens deciding to pull up stumps and take him home to South Australia.

The gelding was due to contest the Group One BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday but Stephens confirmed the five-year-old would not be among acceptances for the $2.25 million race.

"We've pulled the pin. He's back home already and he's in the paddock having a spell," Stephens said.

"He just didn't come up after he got that virus, he was a bit flat and we didn't want to run him just for the sake of it."

Alcopop announced himself as one of the country's brightest staying stars when he won the Listed JRA Cup and Group Two Herbert Power Stakes in the spring before finishing sixth as favourite in Shocking's Melbourne Cup.

He made his Sydney debut with a first-up 10th to Danleigh in the Apollo Stakes in February before his campaign hit a hurdle when he was scratched from the Chipping Norton Stakes because of an irregular blood count.

Stephens thought his charge had turned the corner and Alcopop took his place in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) but failed to fire and finished last.

"He just got too far behind and his red blood cell count and his haemoglobin wasn't up high enough and his fitness wasn't quite there," Stephens said.

"It's disappointing but it's one of those things in racing, the same happened with Viewed and Shocking, it has just been one of those autumns."

Stephens was lukewarm about the prospect of bringing Alcopop back to Sydney next year and said the jury was out on whether he handled racing in the clockwise direction.

"I'm not completely convinced he handled the way of going in Sydney," Stephens said.

"We'll have to see what he does in the spring and take it from there but it's more likely we'd look at a race like the Australian Cup (next year)."

Alcopop will be spelled for up to three months before returning for another spring preparation in Melbourne where Stephens' options will include the Cox Plate and the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

Ranvet Stakes winner Theseo is expected to start a dominant favourite in the BMW on Saturday, although he is yet to win beyond 2200 metres.

At his only two attempts at 2400m Theseo was seventh to Empires Choice in the 2007 Queensland Derby and runner-up to Fiumicino in the BMW last year.

He is the $3.20 elect in early TAB Sportsbet markets ahead of Ranvet third placegetter Speed Gifted at $6.50 and Kiwi mare Daffodil at $9.

The final field will be declared on Tuesday.