A pleasant surprise from the handicapper has ended Enghien's Australian assault before it began.
The champion three-year-old trotter was supposed to be heading to Victoria this week for Sunday's A$75,000 Victoria Derby and then the Breeders Crown later in the month, two group ones he would have been the red hot favourite for.
But trainer Greg Hope has pulled the pin on the trip after discovering Enghien will be better treated than expected in the rating system this season.
"We have found out he will come back as a rating 85 horse because the rating will be capped at the end of his three-year-old season [yesterday]," says Hope.
"Initially I thought he would come back rated like a 110 or something and to me that meant his four-year-old season would have been almost a write off so it made sense to go to Australia for these last two races.