Trainer Chris Waller has confirmed two of his stable stars will miss the carnival in Queensland.
Star sprinter Nature Strip and multiple Group 1 winner Kolding will both be spelled, ruling them out of the winter carnival races in Queensland.
Trainer Chris Waller had been weighing up potential Brisbane targets for the pair but confirmed on Friday that neither would head north.
“Whilst we had hoped both horses would get to Queensland, we have made the decision that to prepare properly for the spring, they need to have a decent break,” Waller said in a statement.
“There are no issues with either horse, we just want the appropriate time to prepare them.
“I can see both horses are not quite as bright as they were mid-preparation and I would rather stop now than know that I have gone one run too far.”
Nature Strip reaffirmed his position at the top of Australia’s sprinting ranks when he defended his T J Smith Stakes crown during the Sydney autumn carnival, while Kolding returned to his best with a hard-fought victory in the All Aged Stakes.
Waller said Nature Strip would be set for The Everest in the spring and nominated the Winx Stakes as an early-season target for Kolding.
