Colette is set to run on Caulfield Cup Day but not in the race Godolphin or her trainer James Cummings had been hoping for.
Instead of contesting the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), the five-year-old daughter of Hallowed Crown will instead contest the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
Colette had been tracking nicely for the Caulfield Cup, having finished sixth to Behemoth in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield and then fifth to Incentivise in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington (1600m) on September 18.
But a foot abscess on the eve of the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 2 ruled her out of that race while the Cummings team in Melbourne ran out of time to have the mare in order to run last Saturday in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m).
Colette had been high up in Caulfield Cup markets before the Turnbull meeting and would have been ideally suited in Saturday’s feature on the rain-affected ground.
As a three-year-old Colette won the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) on heavy ground while last spring she was successful in the Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill, again on a heavy track.
Having contested weight-for-age races at her two runs this campaign, Colette is back against mares’ company on Saturday and was the $2.40 favourite for the race with TAB on Friday.
“Tragically she is going to miss out on the Caulfield Cup,” Cummings said.
“She just had a foot abscess that took too many days for us, and I was faced with the option to really get her going fast in gallops or just take the safer option and put her first.
“At set weights with penalties, Colette is pretty well in here despite the fact she’s five weeks between runs, but we think she’s right now.”
“She’ll certainly tell us whether she’s missed the boat this spring but we’re feeling pretty good as she has bounced back from that minor issue.”
