Amanaat to miss early winter races
Amanaat is out of the early winter carnival races after injuring his jaw in a barrier incident at Doomben.
The sprinter spent Sunday at a veterinary clinic undergoing tests for a nasty gash to his mouth received when his head hit the starting stall before Saturday’s Listed Ascot Handicap.
Trainer Ben Currie is clinging to hope the Weetwood Handicap winner can be ready for races late in the carnival.
Currie said thankfully the injury wasn’t as bad as it first looked but still serious.
“He has a fracture there and there is some bad bruising. He lost some teeth as well. But the vets said he didn’t need to be wired or operated on at this stage,” Currie said.
“He will need to be back in stables for a while so we can keep an eye on him. He obviously won’t be racing soon but the end of the carnival is two months away, so who knows.”
Amanaat, the pre-race favourite, missed the start by six lengths and finished with the tailenders.
Jockey Bob El Issa, Currie and owner Tony Khoury applied for the horse to be declared a non-runner because he had been “screwed down” by barrier staff and hit his head at the start.
Stewards agreed and Amanaat was declared a non-starter.