Group One winning mare Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man) has been ruled out of the rest of the Melbourne spring carnival after she was scratched from Saturday’s Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) with an elevated temperature.
Leviathan Western Australian Owner Bob Peters said the six-year-old will return to Perth and a tilt at the upcoming Ascot carnival was also unlikely.
The winner of nine of her 13 starts, Inspirational Girl won the Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1600m) last season and transferred from the stable of Grant and Alana Williams to Danny O’Brien for a Melbourne spring campaign.
The star mare caught the eye when fifth in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) fresh-up, but O’Brien withdrew Inspirational Girl from the Makybe Diva on Saturday morning when her temperature spiked.
The daughter of Reliable Man held nominations for Melbourne’s three biggest spring features – the Caulfield Cup (2400m), Cox Plate (2040m) and Melbourne Cup (3200m).
“She’ll be coming home,” Peters told The West Australian.
“She left a little bit of feed and when they checked her, her temperature was up.
“Her bloods weren’t right. It’s no good trying at that level because everything’s got to go right.
“I just want to get her home and see where she’s at.
“She’ll be going out and all the Ascot carnival horses are in work, so I doubt she’d be ready.”
Inspirational Girl was purchased by John Chalmers Bloodstock on Peter’s behalf out of Jamieson Park’s 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale draft for $190,000.
