Sir Delius will miss Saturday’s Craven Plate at Randwick, with trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott deciding to spell the prized import.

The son of Frankel was nominated for the Group 3 event after Racing Victoria controversially ruled him out of the Victorian Spring Carnival due to irregular CT scan results during the Melbourne Cup vetting process.

Waterhouse confirmed on social media that the stable will now focus on an autumn return.
“After discussing Sir Delius with the ownership group, Adrian and I have made the decision to spell him and set our sights on the autumn carnival,” she posted on X.
“He’s an extremely valuable horse and one we firmly believe will continue to prove he’s the best weight-for-age performer in Australia. Bring on the $5mil. Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.”

Sir Delius had been favourite for both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup before being ruled ineligible.