Injury
has ruled Demonetization out of the Gr1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m)
with the leading colt unlikely to run again this season.
"I galloped him with Brighton before Brighton won at the Counties meeting and I
wasn't 100 per cent happy how he pulled up," trainer Nigel Tiley said.
"I got him checked out and they couldn't find anything wrong so I galloped him
again last week and Derek Nolan, who rides him every day, said there was
something wrong.
"We sent the horse down to Matamata and scintigraphy tests showed a hot spot in
his fetlock. We had him x-rayed yesterday, you have to wait two or three days
to do that, and it showed a stress fracture.
"He'll have box rest for two or three weeks and then a couple of months off to
let everything settle down.
"That's racing and it happens, but we've still got the horse and we'll look
forward to his four-year-old season."
Demonetization has won three of his four starts, including the Gr.2 Auckland
Guineas (1600m) at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.
Meanwhile, the news around his unbeaten stablemate Melt is all positive.
"She's been back in work for two weeks and she'll probably have a quiet trial
at Avondale on February 27 and then on to the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes," Tiley said.
Melt won the Listed Ashford Lodge 2YO Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe on debut
before she beat Saturday's Gr.3 Phoenix Park 2YO Classic (1200m) winner Bit
Lippy in the Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie. – NZ Racing Desk.