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Trainer Tony Pike has made the decision to pull three-year-old Sacred Elixir from his planned trip to Brisbane, spelling the gelding in preparation for the spring season.
Pike and owners Raffles Racing chose to spell last year’s JJ Atkins winner after a trip over the ditch and a string of three non-place finishes in a row, including at the Avondale Guineas (7th) and Karaka 3-year-old Mile (4th).
His last outing came in the New Zealand Derby on Saturday, where he ran fifth on a sluggish finish to pass the post a nose over three lengths from the winner.
Pike said he tried to keep him gunning for the previously planned trip to Brisbane, but the recovery process and turnaround just weren’t worth the risk.
“We have had trouble getting his blood right and while there was a chance he could still run okay in Brisbane, there was also the risk that it could have completely flattened him,” said Pike.
“He’s not going to Brisbane. He will have a good long spell instead and then come back for the spring.
“We were still not 100 per cent happy with him and decided that Brisbane would come up too quickly.”
Neither Pike nor Raffles Racing has hinted at where they’re looking to bring him back in for a first up gallop, but the spell is expected to be around 20 weeks.
The gelding previously skipped out on a return at the Herbie Dyke Stakes earlier in the year to hit the aforementioned Avondale Guineas in what has been an inconsistent season following a strong end to 2016.
A second place run in the Victoria Derby came after a string of three wins from his previous four races, ending the year as one of the form horses to watch in the new year.
“We didn’t have a lot of time after Melbourne (Victoria Derby) to get him back,” Pike said.
“He was always going to be vulnerable first-up.
“The most important thing is that he has come through the race very well.”
Sacred Elixir has five wins and two place finishes to his name from 13 starts, including three stakes wins, just having passed the one million mark for career prizemoney.
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