CONNECTIONS of Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock-owned galloper Dandino are now weighing up the horse's racing future after withdrawing him from the Melbourne Cup, 3200m.
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The star stayer was scratched from the Caulfield Cup, 2400m, last Thursday after pulling up lame in his off-foreleg, and further inspections have ruled him out of the biggest race on the nation's calendar.
ATB owner Darren Dance told The Courier the injury was soft-tissue related and was not a recurrence of the one that ruled him out of the Hong Kong International Vase last year. He said this meant it was not as bad as first feared and was not career-ending.
Dance said connections would decide on continuing to race Dandino or retire and sell him to stud within the next 7-10 days.
"Friday week we will close that off and know what we are doing," Dance said.
"It's hard to know (what we will do) because I don't know what the owners want to do. I'd like to give (racing) another go, but I'm only a shareholder."
Fellow ATB stayer Seismos will run in the Melbourne Cup on November 4.
Seismos finished 15th in the Caulfield Cup, but Dance said the horse was not suited by the stop-start affair.
"We bought him for the Melbourne Cup so that's his race. Flemington is his track and it doesn't matter whether it's wet or dry," he said.
ATB's big-race focus is also on Guest of Honour, who has drawn barrier 10 for this Saturday's Cox Plate, 2040m, and Platelet, who has the outside gate 12 for the Manikato Stakes, 1200m, on Friday night.
Dance said Guest of Honour was over the odds and was sure he'd run in the first half of the field and believed Platelet, after drawing wide, would need everything to go right in running to figure in the finish.
