Private Harry, one of the first horses locked away for this year’s The Everest, will not be at Randwick for the $20 million race on October 18 after having the curtain prematurely drawn on his spring campaign.
The Nathan Doyle-trained four-year-old, who won his first five starts, was unplaced for the second time this campaign when a 4-1/2-length fifth in Saturday’s Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) won by Briasa.
He also finished 4-1/2 lengths fifth at his previous start, in the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m) on September 20.
The son of Harry Angel emerged from Saturday’s event lame in the near foreleg and part-owner Yulong announced on Monday morning that Private Harry would be sent for testing before spelling.
“It’s obviously disappointing but we need to do what’s best for the horse,” Yulong’s chief operating officer Sam Fairgray said.
“He’s far better than his last two runs would suggest, so there is clearly something amiss that we need to look into further.
“Nathan Doyle’s team will take him into the clinic this week for a thorough investigation, which hopefully will shed some light on the situation and let us plan an appropriate path for him.”
Private Harry was to have run in Yulong’s slot in this year’s The Everest and the Victorian operation will assess its options in coming days to determine a replacement.
Yulong has two others engaged in The Everest with Angel Capital to run for James Harron and Magic Time snapped up by Inglis over the weekend.
Magic Time was one of three horses confirmed for The Everest over the weekend, joined by War Machine and Jedibeel, who will run for Coolmore and Mulberry Racing respectively.
Godolphin is the only other slot-holder yet to confirm its representative for this year’s race with an announcement expected in coming days.
If you’re still planning a flutter on The TAB Everest, be sure to compare the best betting sites, leading betting apps and top Australian bookmakers before you bet.
