SYDNEY - A shoulder injury to smart New Zealand filly Santagostino has forced trainer Mark Walker to abort her Queensland Oaks campaign.
The Matamata trainer scratched her from Saturday's group one A$400,000 ($456,000) Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm in Brisbane after she pulled up sore from trackworkon Monday.
"She pulled a muscle up high in her near front shoulder. It's not career threatening, just one of those things," Walker told Sydney radio station 2KY.
He said the Giant's Causeway filly would return home next week.
Santagostino was a $7 third favourite for the Oaks with the New South Wales TAB after two top leadup runs which earned A$87,000 for her owner-breeders, the Vela brothers, of Ethereal fame.
Another New Zealand filly, the Mike and Paul Moroney-trained Eskimo Queen, was yesterday elevated to $3.80 favouritism for the Oaks after her slashing third in the Doomben Roses this month.
The winner of that race, Lasoron, was a $4 second favourite.
Walker will have just one runner at Eagle Farm on Saturday, Huluava, another Vela filly.
Huluava contests the group three A$125,000 Grand Prix Stakes (2100m) for 3-year-olds as a potential leadup to the Queensland Derby (2400m) on June 9.
"She'd have to run well enough on Saturday to carry on to the Derby. There's a couple of horses that won at the weekend who look pretty smart."
Walker said his rising star Hamlet's Ghost, who stretched his winning streak to four at Ellerslie on Saturday, would likely have his first Australian run in the A$100,000 Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) on June 30.
The Danasinga gelding is eventually bound for Hong Kong, but Walker was uncertain when. "I haven't heard whether he's rated high enough to get into Hong Kong yet."
