The Cox Plate campaign of Globe has been thrown into doubt after the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained gelding was found to have irritation in his off-front fetlock joint just days out from the race.
Connections of the seven-year-old had paid a $200,000 late-entry fee following his victory in the Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield earlier this month, securing his place in Saturday’s Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley, where he has drawn barrier seven.
However, Racing Victoria (RV) veterinarians indicated that Globe may not be cleared to run after undergoing a Sleip Test on Monday — a motion analysis video comparing his current gait to previous recordings.
“He had to do a Sleip test yesterday, which is a video of their action,” Price told Racing.com. “RV contacted ‘Junior’ yesterday and said on half of the Sleip test, the horse wouldn’t pass. I’ve contacted the owners and let them know.”
Price said Globe was taken to the beach on Tuesday morning and would repeat the process on Wednesday to assist recovery. RV vets are expected to inspect the horse later in the week before making a final decision.
“They’ll come Thursday, have a look at it, they might come Friday, they might leave it until Saturday morning,” Price said. “The horse does have an irritation in the off-front fetlock, and I will say if the horse is not right, I’m not going to run him.”
Price confirmed X-rays had ruled out any bone damage, describing the issue as soft tissue irritation where the joint capsule connects to the bone. “It’s more a soft tissue thing, but if the horse is not 100 per cent on Saturday morning, then he won’t run,” he said.
Globe has raced just 15 times in his career, and Price said his long-term future would take precedence. “He’d be a beautiful Sydney horse in the autumn,” he added, hinting that the Cox Plate dream may yet be deferred for another campaign.