Injury has ruined the New Zealand Cup hopes of Southland-owned pacer Captain Dolmio.
The Robert Dunn trained 6yr-old was the eighth-seeded pacer and a $16 chance with TAB bookmakers for New Zealand's greatest harness race.
Captain Dolmio's injury, which stable manager John Dunn described as a joint problem in the horse's near hind leg, will sideline the horse for a minimum of four months.
The injury is not thought to be career-ending, but if the horse was not sent to the spelling paddock now it could become worse, Dunn said.
What makes the timing of the injury especially cruel was Captain Dolmio had returned from a winter spell in exceptional order, winning two recent trials.
He was to start in the Maurice Homes Vase, at the beginning of this month, but a minor hoof problem initially set Captain Dolmio's racetrack return back until this Saturday's New Brighton Cup.
Now the six-strong Captain Dolmio syndicate, the members of which are all based in Otago and Southland, are set to go all season without seeing their promising pacer race.
``He had come back stronger again. We were looking forward to the season,'' syndicate member and Captain Dolmio's former trainer, Matthew Brinsdon, said.
``A minimum of four months in the paddock - it will probably curtail the season. There's no point bringing him back for the autumn.''
The Grinfromeartoear pacer would have brought genuine 3200m form - something that can be a rarity in modern harness racing - to this year's New Zealand Cup.
In three 3200m starts, Captain Dolmio won last season's Tuapeka Cup, set up a record-breaking 3:53.5 time when running second to Classie Brigade in the Invercargill Cup and ran second to Heaven Rocks in last season's Easter Cup.
The horse was backed from an opening quote of $26 to win and $6 for a place into odds of $16 and $3.90 to win the New Zealand Cup, TAB bookmaker Richard Wilson said.
Captain Dolmio's exclusion from Saturday's race does not help a depleted New Brighton Cup field.
There are nine initial nominations for the race, including last season's Auckland Cup winner, Dream About Me, and former Miracle Mile winner Have Faith In Me.
The Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained pair had their most recent hit-out in a bizarre workout at Rangiora on September 6.
The race saw the Gavin Smith-trained and driven Imola lead by up to 40 lengths, with the benefit of a 40m head start over the All Stars pair and two other runners.
Imola held on to the big lead to win by an incredible 36 lengths over Dream About Me, who was a half length in front of Have Faith in Me.
Imola is among the nominations for the New Brighton Cup and could clinch a New Zealand Cup start, as the winner of the race is exempt from ballot from the November feature.
The 5yr-old is ranked last of the horses in the New Zealand Cup rankings, which are due to be updated next week.
There are 25 horses left in contention for the race after the Dunn stable withdrew Cullect A Guinness and the Kevin Chapman-trained Locharburn was also withdrawn last week.
