Multiple Group 1 winner Eduardo will race on in the autumn after a series of tests found no physical issue with the gelding following his disappointing spring.
One of the premier sprinters over the past couple of seasons, Eduardo’s form tapered off after his first-up win in the Concorde Stakes in September, the usually consistent horse failing to place in three subsequent starts, including when finishing down the track in The Everest.
Trainer Joe Pride said Eduardo subsequently underwent scans to see if they could reveal a reason for his below par preparation, but the horse was given a clean bill of health.
“It was pretty average by his standards and that’s the thing, he has set a really high standard and he was pretty plain through the spring,” Pride said.
“But we put him through the ‘pits’, did some tests on him, we did a bone scan on him and it was 100 per cent.
“He is having a spell and he’ll be back on the 19th of December.
“At this stage, he will be aimed at either the Challenge Stakes or The Galaxy first-up.”
At nine, Eduardo is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but he has been sparingly raced with just 31 starts.
He has placed behind champion Nature Strip in the past two renewals of the T J Smith Stakes, but Pride has stopped short of confirming he will get another opportunity in the flagship sprint of the Sydney autumn carnival.
“It will be all about that first-up run and how well he goes,” Pride said.
“I can’t find anything wrong with him, he loves being a racehorse, he loves being in work.
“He did win one race (in the spring), so let’s just hope he had an off prep.”
Pride is enjoying a terrific season and will be represented in two of the three stakes races at Randwick on Saturday with Brutality to back-up in The Ingham (1600m), while Taksu will resume in the Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m).
