Peter Morgan & Craig Widdison’s last start stakes winner Zebulon has been ruled out of Saturday’s 2016 The Goodwood and is likely to be sidelined with injury four at least 12 months.
Zebulon will miss The Goodwood 2016 and spend a year on the sidelines with injury. Photo: Jenny Barnes.
The smart All American four-year-old won the Listed City Of Adelaide Stakes (1400m) last time out by a runaway four lengths in his first-up run since February of 2015.
He rated an $11 shot in pre-field betting at Ladbrokes.com.au for the $500,000 Group 1 Darley Goodwood (1200m) this weekend.
The Group 1 performed gelding will miss the Morphettville Racecourse classic however and after suffering a repeat tendon injury, is set to miss a full year of racing.
Co-trainer Morgan told Racenet they noticed the injury on Saturday after the horse’s morning work and that it was a big blow for the stable as they considered him “hard to beat” in The Goodwood.
“It’s very disappointing, he’s got some activity in his off-fore deep flexor tendon which is the same one he’s had the trouble with before,” he said.
“He’d done so well since the win we were thinking he would be hard to beat in the Goodwood. It was not just us either as plenty of jockeys had been ringing to see if they could ride him.”
To date Zebulon has had just the eight starts for two wins, two seconds and two thirds.
He is set to spend 12 months in rehabilitation with connections keen to see him make a full recovery and a return to the track in 2017.
“He’s a very good horse and he’s still young so you have to try,” Morgan said.
“We’re only a small stable and it would have been good to go there with a chance in a big race but that’s racing as they say.”
It was better news for stablemate Whirlpool, the three-year-old Sebring filly running second to the John O’Shea-trained Antelucan in last Saturday’s Listed Adelaide Guineas (1600m).
While there was talk of a trip to Queensland for the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival with the progressive youngster, Morgan said they were more likely to give her one more run in Adelaide before a break.
“She’s come through that in good order and she’s got good improvement in her,” he said.
“We won’t go to Queensland with her, possibly give her one more run here and then give her a break.
“She will be better over 2000 metres and on a wet track – if we ever get one of those!”
The official 2016 The Goodwood field meanwhile is set for release later this morning with updated markets to follow at Ladbrokes.com.au, the Darren Weir-trained Black Heart Bart to jump favourite.
