Group One winner Epaulette is a little behind schedule in his autumn carnival preparations but stablemate Albrecht is on track for his three-start Melbourne campaign.
Trainer Peter Snowden said Epaulette had suffered a setback and would not be back to represent Darley in the early autumn races.
“He’s back a bit. He’s had a little bit of a setback,” Snowden said.
“I’m just not sure where he starts now. It won’t be early.
“He’s probably a month behind, but I’m not sure.”
Epaulette, a three-quarter brother to Helmet, showed his class during last year’s spring carnival with a victory over Albrecht in the Group One Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill.
He then went to Melbourne and won the Caulfield Guineas Prelude before finishing third to high-profile colts All Too Hard and Pierro in the Caulfield Guineas.
Albrecht remained in Sydney after the Golden Rose in the spring and was turned out after another second in the Group Two Stan Fox Stakes.
Snowden said the well-bred colt, by Redoute’s Choice out of a sister to Lonhro, would likely head to Melbourne this week.
“He’ll trial in Melbourne on the 25th of January and he runs on the 2nd of February,” Snowden said.
Albrecht’s return will be in the Listed Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
“He then he goes to the CS Hayes two weeks later and two weeks after that is the Australian Guineas.”
The Group Three CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) and the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m), also the target of All Too Hard, are both at Flemington.
Talented two-year-old Guelph is also in line for a trip to Melbourne and will trial either at Hawkesbury on Monday or Warwick Farm on Tuesday.
Guelph is a daughter of Exceed And Excel out of Group One winner Camarilla.
Camarilla won a Blue Diamond Prelude as a two-year-old and was fourth in the Blue Diamond before winning the Group One Sires’ Produce Stakes in Sydney.
Guelph was second to the Peter Moody-trained Brilliant Bisc in the Gimcrack Stakes on debut in October.
“She’ll run on Australia Day at Randwick and then maybe go to Melbourne,” Snowden said.
The filly’s Melbourne debut would be in the Blue Diamond Prelude.
