A back injury sustained by Shooting To Win last Saturday will force the three year old to miss a start in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 4.

Shooting To Win will miss the Doncaster Mile because of a back injury. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

Shooting To Win was sent out as the $4.60 favourite for the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill last weekend and after looming up in the straight finished two and a quarter lengths fifth to the Japanese galloper Real Impact.

Co-trainer Peter Snowden reported to stewards on Monday morning that the Northern Meteor colt has pulled up with a sore back following his unplaced effort and he knew then that he would be struggling to have him fit for the Doncaster Mile on the first day of ‘The Championships’.

Snowden will now aim the Caulfield Guineas winner towards the weight for age Group 1 $400,000 Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 18, giving the colt two extra weeks to recover.

“He pulled up with some muscle spasms after his run the other day,” Snowden told AAP.

“It will give me a bit more time to get him right and have him one hundred per cent rather than go into a Doncaster at eighty-five per cent which isn’t good enough.”

Shooting To Win has been a disaster for punters and in the Spring knocked off the short priced favourite Rich Enuff when he beat him in the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.

Then at three runs this Autumn campaign Shooting To Win has been sent out as the favourite but has failed to deliver, leaving his followers bewildered.

First up in the Group 2 $200,000 Blackwoods CRC Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on February 21 was beaten half a length by the Hallowed Crown as the $3.60 favourite.

Then in the Group 1 $600,000 Girvan Waugh Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick on March 7 punters stuck with him, backing him into be the top pick at $2.50 before he ran third to the Bart and James Cummings trained colt again.

Snowden, who trains in partnership with his son Paul, then took the blinkers off but the punters were still left screaming as he struggled into fifth place in the George Ryder Stakes.