Brilliant filly Sunlight will miss the Adelaide carnival and be spelled before being prepared for an assault on The Everest in the spring.
Trainer Tony McEvoy was not happy with Sunlight after she trialled at Gawler last Friday and on Monday ruled her out of Saturday’s Group One Robert Sangster Stakes at Morphettville.
“She didn’t bounce out of that trial,” McEvoy said.
“She trialled OK but not up to her standard so I watched her on Saturday and Sunday and she showed me she’s a little bit flat.
“So I’m going to give her a spell, give her a good break and aim her at The Everest.”
McEvoy said he would sit down and plan a campaign to have her peaking at possibly the third run of her preparation in October’s The Everest at Randwick.
“I’ll get to work now on how we’ll get her there,” McEvoy said.
“It’s a big contest, even though she won a big contest second-up, the Newmarket, I think third-up, just to make sure everything is ticked off.”
The winner of the Coolmore Stud Stakes in the spring, Sunlight won the Newmarket Handicap and William Reid Stakes this autumn before finishing a last-start third behind Santa Ana Lane in the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick.
With Sunlight to miss the Sangster, McEvoy will rely on Cool Passion in Saturday’s 1200m weight-for-age contest for fillies and mares.
Cool Passion defeated Sunlight in last week’s 1000m-trial.
“She was excellent winning the trial the other day and looks a good representative for the stable,” McEvoy said.
McEvoy also had Desert Lashes entered, but she is to be retired and sold at the Magic Millions Broodmare sale on the Gold Coast.