(1).jpg)
Majestuoso will miss the second leg of the Aurora Australis series after having treatment to aid a troublesome hock issue that is being blamed for his wayward performance in Saturday night’s Group 1 Maori Mile.
The Andy Gath-trained squaregaiter galloped down the back straight at Bendigo and dropped out to finish second last behind winner Aldebaran Zeus.
Gath said the seven-year-old was lame following the run and had subsequently had his hocks treated on Monday.
“I’m happy I’ve found an issue that I’ve been able to treat,” Gath said.
Majestuoso, a five-time Group 1 winner in 2022, won’t be able to race until 14 days after the treatment and will need a veterinary certificate to prove soundness before he can compete again.
This rules out the second race in the Aurora Australis series – the E B Cochran Trotters Cup at Ballarat on January 21 – but will allow him to return for leg three, the V L Dullard Trotters Cup at Melton on January 28.
The main aim, however, is defending the Great Southern Star crown he won in 2022.
The unique feature consists of heats and a final on the same night, and will be contested at Melton on February 3.
Aurora Australis is an eight-race series that encompasses the feature trotting events in Victoria through January and February.
Points are allocated to the first five place-getters in each race, with the owner of the winning horse receiving a $50,000 bonus.
Majestuoso won last year’s Aurora Australis with a photo-finish victory over Im Ready Jet in the last leg of the series.
AURORA AUSTRALIS
7th January, Maori Mile (Group 1), Bendigo, 1609m, $75,000
21st January, E B Cochran Trotters Cup (Group 3), Ballarat, 2200m, $30,000
28th January, V L Dullard Trotters Cup (Group 2), Melton, 2240m, $50,000
3rd February, Great Southern Star heats (two heats), Melton, 1720m, $50,000
3rd February, Great Southern Star Final (Group 1), Melton, 1720m, $300,000
11th February, The Knight Pistol (Group 2), Melton, 2240m, $50,000
25th February, Australian Trotting Grand Prix (Group 1), Melton, 2240m, $100,000
POINTS
1st – 8 points, 2nd – 5 points, 3rd – 3 points, 4th – 2 points and 5th – 1 point
