The 2013 Spring Racing Carnival preparation of Jet Away has suffered another blow after the imported stayer was ruled out of the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Jet Away will go into the Caulfield Cup second-up after he was ruled out of the Underwood Stakes. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Jet Away galloped at Hayes’ Lindsay Park facility this morning and pulled up poorly with mucus in his throat.

Hayes said that it was not a major issue and would not have any long-lasting effects on the Cape Cross gelding but means that he will go into the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 19 with only one lead-up race, in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (200m) at Flemington on October 5, under his belt.

“It’s not a major setback in a sense but I have to treat him so I can’t run on Saturday,” Hayes told News Limited.

“You’d be kidding yourself if you didn’t see it as a setback – it’s far from ideal.”

This is the second time that Jet Away’s return to racing has been pushed back after the horse’s colourful Irish owner Douglas Taylor requested that the six-year-old be scratched from the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) that was won by Foreteller at Flemington on September 7.

Jet Away has drifted significantly in 2013 Caulfield Cup betting markets in the last fortnight but the English-bred galloper does have a strong first-up and second-up record.

He made his Australian debut with a first-up victory in the Yalumba Golden Mile (1600m) at Bendigo in March and followed that up with a win in the Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield during the 2013 Melbourne Festival Of Racing.

His record fresh was just as good in Europe and he was victorious in two of his four first-up starts and recorded three wins and an unlucky second place effort in the Tapster Stakes (2414m) from four second-up starts.

Three of the last four winners of the Caulfield Cup had their final lead-up run in the Turnbull Stakes.