Absenteeism was rife among Sydney’s leading trainers at Warwick Farm as the next generation of racetrack stars took priority over midweek commitments.
It turned out only one of the seven winners on Wednesday returned to scale with its trainer waiting for horse and jockey.
Instead, most trainers were among the hopefuls trying to buy a future champion as Australia’s annual round of yearling sales started under the Magic Millions banner at the Gold Coast.
It was left to an assortment of representatives of winning trainers Bart and James Cummings, Chris Waller, Gai Waterhouse, Sam Kavanagh, Clarry Conners and Kris Lees for the post-race formalities.
And even if Godolphin’s absent trainer John O’Shea was trackside, he could have done nothing about unbeaten filly Cleanse adding to an unwanted reputation.
For the second time in her short career, Cleanse refused to be loaded into the barrier, forcing her scratching from the TAB Rewards Handicap.
Her antics were enough for the three-year-old to be banished to the barrier trials and her rehabilitation could start as soon as Thursday morning’s round of heats at Warwick Farm.
“(It seems to happen) once she senses she can get a victory over the (barrier) boys behind her,” Godolphin assistant trainer Darren Beadman told stewards.
Cleanse, a Goulburn and Canterbury winner when she has managed to go into the gates, was likely to be entered for a Rosehill race on Saturday week.
But stewards said her next start would depend on how well coped with Thursday’s practice session.
“If she doesn’t go in tomorrow it may well be she will have to have a series of trials,” acting chief steward Marc Van Gestel said.
Cleanse was going to be sent out a short-priced favourite and with her withdrawal it was left to the Sam Kavanagh-trained Palazzo Pubblico to skirt through along the fence to make it two wins in as many starts this campaign.
Her win was the first leg of a treble in successive races for Brenton Avdulla, the in-form young jockey who rides leading chance Perignon in the $2 million Magic Millions Classic on Saturday.
Avdulla also won on Montiro for Conners and Felines for Lees.
Tommy Berry also rode a double, winning on Cast In Stone for the Cummings partnership and Kontiki Dane for Waterhouse’s Tulloch Lodge.
