Spring Carnival prep uncertain for Spillway

English import Spillway is facing an uncertain Spring Carnival preparation as he continues to recover from a minor leg injury.

Spillway, above blue cap, is facing an uncertain Spring Carnival preparation. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.

Spillway, above blue cap, is facing an uncertain Spring Carnival preparation. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.

Lindsay Park co-trainer Tom Dabernig said that he and training partner David Hayes will give Spillway every chance to compete in the upcoming Spring Carnival but are prepared to pull the pin if the injury affects his preparation in any way.

Dabernig explained that the leg injury was not career threatening and the rising six year old would be put away for the Autumn if he doesn’t come up for the Spring Carnival.

“Hopefully all being well we’ll have him back for the Spring but if not we’ll put him away for the autumn,” Dabernig told Racing.com’s Racing Ahead on RSN.

“It’s not something that he can’t overcome but it’s just something that we have to be mindful of so that we don’t get him up too quickly.

“At the moment he’s having a slow and steady build-up but the test will be when he commences galloping.”

Spillway was rewarded for some consistent performances during last year’s Spring Carnival and the Melbourne Autumn Carnival earlier in the year with a narrow win over stablemate Extra Zero in the Group 1 $1m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 14.

Dabernig and Hayes then took the five year old to Sydney for ‘The Championships’ where he ran fourth to another stablemate Criterion in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 11.

Spillway is a winner of five races from twenty-three starts, two of which were under the Lindsay Park banner and as well as the Australia Cup, he was able to win the Group 3 $150,000 Crust Gourmet Pizza Japan Racing Association Plate (2000m) at Randwick during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Carnival.

The Australian Cup winner’s other three wins were in England with two at Kempton Park and one at Sandown Park before he joined the Lindsay Park Team at the end 2013.

About The Author

Lucy Henderson

Lucy is an experienced horse racing journalist that has been a crucial member of the horseracing.com.au team for the better part of a decade. She has taken great delight in covering champion mares Black Caviar and Winx throughout their careers and always has a soft spot for a winning filly.