All To Hard

All To Hard. Photo: Getty Images



All Too Hard looks set to be one of the stars of Sydney's autumn carnival after the colt's owners confirmed on Sunday that the Caulfield Guineas winner has probably run his last race in Melbourne.


While Victorian punters are gearing up for the Melbourne leg of Black Caviar's farewell tour on March 22, it appears her multiple group 1-winning half-brother will not be seen down south again before heading to a lucrative career at stud.


Co-owner and architect behind the purchase of All Too Hard, Vinery general manager Peter Orton said on Sunday that it was a case of ''wait and see'' on the condition of All Too Hard, which was the odds-on favourite for the Saturday's Australian Guineas before being scratched on race morning.


''It was lucky that the horse's high temp was detected when it was, it was disappointing not to run but the horse comes first,'' Orton said. ''I went and saw him [All Too Hard] during the races on Saturday and he looked to be sparkling.


''He appears to have come through it well and his temperature is now back to normal. But once the temperature is elevated, you've got to be careful to see what the problem is.''


While All Too Hard missed a chance to add another group 1 to his collection, the colt will have plenty of options in Sydney.


''Yes, he's probably run his last race in Victoria because we've simply run out of races for him that he could contest,'' Orton said. ''But there are some terrific races like the Ryder and the All Aged Stakes that are timed pretty well for him in Sydney. I know the Randwick Guineas is coming up but that's a bit soon and we just want him to be back to his best before he steps out again.''


Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said that despite the high temperature All Too Hard recorded on Saturday, the three-year-old didn't seem bothered in any way.


''It came up very suddenly and I suppose the changing weather didn't help him as it went from cold to hot pretty quickly, but he licked his bin out and it did come on us abruptly. We took bloods the day before and they were perfect,'' Hawkes said.