Xtravagant will probably head back to the trials at Cranbourne next Monday in an attempt to get the entire back to the form that made him a dual Group I winner in his homeland.
The highly-touted Kiwi turned in an inglorious effort when failing to beat a runner home in last Saturday's Group II Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington.
Xtravagant finished more than 27 lengths from the winner after jockey Damien Oliver eased down the four-year-old because of the stalllion's lack of response to his riding.
Co-trainer Stephen Autridge told The Informant a vet's examination of the son of Pentire shed no light on the reason for his failure, which was his second in two Australian starts.
"We're still waiting on the results of blood tests but the experts have checked him out thoroughly and they can't find anything wrong with him," Autridge, who trains Xtravagant in partnership with Jamie Richards, said.
"I would be very surprised if anything showed in his blood.
"If he trials okay and we're staying, we'll then look for a Listed or Group Three type race to get the confidence back - his and ours."
Many noticed Xtravagant showing signs of arousal when parading at Flemington before his dismal outing but Autridge said the pre-race behaviour had no effect on the horse's performance.
"That's just him, by the time he got onto the track and around to the start it wasn't an issue," Autridge said. "They seem to have forgotten he was worse when he came over here in the autumn.
"He's six months older now but overall he was far better behaved on Saturday. We were able to walk him normally around the raceday saddling area and he was fine in his tie-up stall."
