Golden Slipper aspirations for Eternal Warrior have come to an abrupt halt, with the talented colt ruled out of the upcoming Golden Slipper.
Trainer Lloyd Kennewell revealed the disappointing development after the two-year-old showed an irregular action during trackwork on Sunday.
Eternal Warrior had stamped himself as one of the season’s most exciting juveniles when claiming the Magic Millions Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield earlier in the preparation.
Connections confirmed the setback shortly after the colt arrived in Sydney to continue preparations for the world’s richest two-year-old race.
”Eternal Warrior arrived in Sydney in the last 48 hours in preparation for the 2026 TAB Golden Slipper,” the statement said.
”After working the horse this morning his regular rider reported that he did not feel good or normal in his action. Upon further examination with our vet team, scans revealed the colt has significant changes to his suspensory branch.
”This is shattering for our loyal clients all the way through to our entire team that work and care for not only Eternal Warrior but all of our horses on a daily basis.
”In the coming days we will assess the extent of the damage and make sure that he gets the best treatment and rehab program possible in a bid to have him back racing in the not too distant future.”
In early betting for the Golden Slipper, Paradoxium heads the market at $5 with Bet365, followed by Warwoven at $7.50, while Central Europe and Stretan Ruler share the next line of betting at $9.
