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Short Fuse begins prep with a bang; Torcedor out of Melbourne Cup;Te Aroha meeting abandoned
Short Fuse begins prep with a bang
Short Fuse began her preparation in the best possible fashion at the Te Rapa trials on Tuesday, winning her 880m heat by a neck.
"It was a nice trial and she did what she was asked," trainer Graham Richardson said. "She was there for an outing and that's what she got.
"She will go through the grades this preparation and hopefully get some black-type.
"She will probably have her first-up run on Melbourne Cup day at Ellerslie, I think there is a (rating) 82 1200m there."
Meanwhile, Group One winner Volpe Veloce has returned home after her two run campaign in Sydney.
The six-year-old mare finished ninth in the Gr.2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) before tailing the field home in the Gr.2 Shannon Stakes (1500m).
"She is back home. She had a week off over there and a week off here," Richardson said.
"Her first race was a very good run, but her second one was very disappointing."
Volpe Veloce is set to return to work on Wednesday with a tilt at the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) on the cards.
"The Railway will be the focus for her," he said. "We will certainly look at all of the options, but it's too early to say, but with the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) being a weight-for-age race, that's quite enticing. It's a smart move."
Torcedor out of Melbourne Cup
Former Te Akau runner Torcedor has been ruled out of another Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) campaign through injury.
The Paul Preusker-trained runner missed last year's race through illness, while he was ruled out of this year's edition after pulling up sore at Werribee.
"He worked super last week but there's just something there and we want to look after him," Australian Bloodstock's Jamie Lovett said.
"He's too good a horse and as disappointing as it is, the way he's been going, we just want to get him 100 percent.
"When you are racing at that level, you can't have any hiccups but unfortunately there's something there."
Bought by David Ellis as a yearling in France, the son of Fastnet Rock won two Group Three races for his former high-profile owners, who included Sir Patrck Hogan, Sir Peter Vela, Mohammed Moussa, and Laurie Laxon.
Torcedor also went on to place at Group One level in the Goodwood Cup (3200m), Ascot Gold Cup (4000m) and Irish St Leger (2800m) before his sale to Australian Bloodstock.
Te Aroha meeting abandoned
Te Aroha's meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been abandoned.
The racecourse had received 124mm of rain in less than 24 hours and the decision was made to call off the meeting after a track inspection by Stipendiary Stewards and Club representatives on Tuesday.