Dual Group One winner Heart Of Dreams has joined a growing list of spring casualties and won’t race again until the autumn.
Trainer Mick Price announced on Monday the gelding had a knee issue and would be immediately spelled.
Heart Of Dreams finished sixth to Lion Tamer in Saturday’s Group One Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield and while he seemed to pull up well, scans detected an abnormality.
“It may explain why he pulled in the run more than usual but he didn’t pull up badly,” Price said.
“I had a look at him yesterday morning and he was fine and we trotted him up this morning and he was fine but my vet took an x-ray and found a small line of degeneration in one bone in the knee which he wasn’t happy with so we need to spell him.
“It is disappointing but that is the game.
“You suck it up and move on.
“It is too much of risk to go on with him now but he can definitely can comeback.
“I think he will be back in the autumn.”
Heart Of Dreams won the 2009 Underwood but the past two years it has been a bogey race for him.
Last year he didn’t race again in the spring after he jarred up in the race and pulled up sore.
However he regained winning form in the autumn when he won the Group Two St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield.
The Underwood was only his second run this campaign after he went down in a photo finish to King’s Rose in the Group Two Memsie Stakes at Caulfield last month.
Heart Of Dreams was topweight for next month’s Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m).
His loss from the carnival was a double blow for Price who recently ruled Coolmore Classic winner Aloha out for the spring after she resumed with a sub par effort in the Bobbie Lewis Quality.
In recent weeks the spring carnival has also lost Maluckyday, Littorio, Rebel Raider, Anacheeva, Vigor and Moudre.
Cedarberg, Delago’s Lad and Conquering all died during their campaigns.
AAP TURF
