Trainer Matt Cumani needs to be careful in his planning and placement of Future Score who has an allergy to grass.
If left untreated, Future Score breaks out in hives and under those circumstances Cumani will not race the horse.
Presently free of the skin condition, Future Score is right to run in Saturday’s Mornington Cup (2400m), a race that gives the winner a ballot exemption to the Caulfield Cup in October.
Cumani said Future Score developed a sarcoid, a growth under his girth, which needed attention at the end of his winter campaign last year.
The trainer said the intention was to give Future Score a three-week break, cut out the sarcoid, then return for a spring campaign.
“Unfortunately the wound split open again and took longer to heal,” Cumani said.
“Whether it’s related or not, sometimes when horses go into a hospital they can pick up bugs and various things and develop strange allergies and ever since he’s had this bizarre allergy.
“We’ve tried all different ways of trying to manage him, but he comes up in these lumps and he looks like a leopard.
“You can treat him with dexamthazone which obviously you can’t race him on, so you have to be careful when you can treat him.
“But he’ll be there on Saturday, spot-free.”
Future Score recorded a first-up win at Pakenham in December and has had three subsequent starts, registering two placings at Caulfield.
The latest was when third behind Aktau and Inverloch, opponents again on Saturday, over 2000m on February 22.
“I’m hoping the race will suit him,” Cumani said.
“With Inverloch there you hope there will be a bit of pace on and with Hush Writer drawn out wider it might also add a bit of pace.
“If we can sneak up behind them, hopefully they will fan out around the turn and we might be in a good spot to pounce on them.
“He’s happy and well and he should be able to put up a good performance in a race like this and then hopefully we can give him a proper break and get him back up for the spring.”
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Yogi has been scratched to run in the N E Manion Cup in Sydney.
Future Score currently sits as fourth favourite at $8.50 for Saturday’s race.
The Anthony Freedman-trained Just Benjamin heads the market at $3.90 from Aktau at $4.60 and last week’s Caulfield winner Inverloch at $6.50.
