Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) contender Not An Option (Not A Single Doubt) has been ruled out of the three-year-old feature after bone chips were found in one of his fetlocks on Thursday morning.
The Not A Single Doubt colt had suffered a heart fibrillation when finishing last in the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday, but trainer Tony Pike had been pleased with his recovery after the race before Thursday’s finding.
“Unfortunately this (Thursday) morning, apart from his heart fibrillation on Saturday, we found a small chip in one of his fetlocks. It is only very minor but it is going to have to come out.
“Unfortunately that rules him out of the Guineas and he will come back for a late Autumn campaign in either Sydney or Brisbane.
“It was a bit of a head scratcher on Saturday. Those heart fibrillations do happen, but I was quite confident the way he pulled up on the Sunday but with this (bone chip) rearing its head we are going to have to look after him and take that out and start again.”
