Perth’s champion sprinter Barakey has been scratched from the $500,000 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot later this month.

The four-year-old gelding, who remains unbeaten after six starts, was withdrawn from the race after trainer Jim Taylor revealed he had had enough this campaign.

Taylor had hinted that Barakey was not a certain starter earlier this morning.

“At this stage we’re going on but I’m just going to monitor how he feels this week,” Taylor said.

“He’s pretty well in himself and just had a light trot this morning.

“He had a couple of days off after the race.

“When he does a bit more serious work in the next couple of days I’ll get a good feel of where we are at.”

Barakey, who was in just the second preparation of his career, won his past three spring starts by a combined margin of 6.5 lengths.

The Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes was due to be the gelding’s first attempt at Group racing, with Barakey never before running amongst black-type company.

Barakey will now go to the spelling paddock and is expected to resume in time for the autumn carnival.

The Key Business gelding has won close to $140,000 in prize money and has won over distances spanning from 1,000 to 1,200 metres.

The news comes as a further blow to Perth Racing, who are still reeling after Black Caviar‘s shock withdrawal from the Winterbottom Stakes yesterday.

Emirates Stakes winner Albert The Fat is also out of the $1 million Railway Stakes on the same day due to an elevated temperature.

“He was booked for the plane flight but this morning he had an elevated temperature,” trainer Chris Waller said.