Classy four year olds Kutchinsky and Shamoline Warrior have been ruled out of the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Kutchinsky, trained by Tony Noonan at Mornington, was targeting the Caulfield Cup after his impressive second in the Queensland Derby behind the Bart Cummings-trained Dariana.
However, a virus means that any crack at the Caulfield Cup or Melbourne Cup would have to be saved for next year.
The Mark Kavanagh-trained Shamoline Warrior was favourite for last year’s Victoria Derby but was scratched on the morning of the race.
He returned to racing with a 13th in the Liston Stakes, but a minor injury since then has meant that he will be in a spelling paddock when the Cups are run.
Other spring casualties so far include the classy Predatory Pricer, who suffered an infection in a hock, and Group 1 winner Littorio.
Written by Andrew Hawkins