Co-trainer Sam Freedman has provided some insight into the injury sustained by Cups star Without A Fight.
The seven-year-old gelding was deemed to have suffered a minor tendon strain last week after the stable recently undertook scans and X-rays on his legs.
The 2023 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup champion has been ruled out of any racing for this upcoming autumn but Freedman, who trains in conjunction with his father Anthony, is expecting the son of Teofilo to return to the track at some stage in 2024.
“Unfortunately he had a setback last week with an injury which took us by surprise,” Freedman said on SEN’s Sportsday.
“We just didn’t see it coming. We checked over the horse 10 days after the race and he was perfect, we did all the scans and X-rays and they all came back clear.
“We felt the need to do them (the scans). It’s a really tough race, the Melbourne Cup, they feel it. He came through it amazingly well, a week after he was bucking his brands off in the paddock. So we scanned his tendons, did X-rays on his fetlocks and knees, checked him behind just to clear it all up and make sure we were fine.
“He returned from the paddock earlier in the week and unfortunately there was just a bit of feeling in the leg. Nothing significant of what we thought.
“He just had a little bit of swelling. It’s just one of those things. It’s a perfect example of how racing can bring you right back to earth.
“He’ll make a full recovery, he’ll hopefully get back to the races and race to the same level. But naturally with a horse like him, his welfare comes first and it’ll be a case of just looking after him.”
Without A Fight, owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, has won four races from six starts since moving to Australia from the UK in October last year.
He became the first galloper since Ethereal in 2001 to take out both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups when he triumphed at Flemington over 3200m under jockey Mark Zahra on the first Tuesday in November.