Star stayer Soulcombe ruled out of Autumn Carnival

Chris Waller’s stable star Soulcombe found to have swelling in his off-front leg, ruling out a shot at the Group 1 Australian Cup at Flemington.

Melbourne Cup runner-up Soulcombe has been ruled out of the Autumn Carnival with a leg complaint.

Trainer Chris Waller said the talented stayer – who ran an eye-catching second in last year’s Cup behind Without A Fight – would miss the autumn after the stable discovered swelling in the gelding’s off-front leg.

Soulcombe was being targeted towards next month’s Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington and had recently impressed in trackwork alongside fellow stable star Riff Rocket.

Chris Waller Racing announced the news in a statement on Monday morning.

Soulcombe is unfortunately out of the Autumn Carnival due to having some swelling to his off-front leg which will require rest. We will do our best to have him back for the Spring but will take no risks and give him the relevant time required.

— Chris Waller Racing (@cwallerracing) February 18, 2024

“Soulcombe is unfortunately out of the Autumn Carnival due to having some swelling to his off-front leg which will require rest. We will do our best to have him back for the Spring but will take no risks and give him the relevant time required,” the statement said.

The five-year-old gelding had also been nominated for the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) and Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in April.

Waller expressed his disappointment when speaking on RSN, with the stayer having returned strongly following his recent spring campaign.

“It’s frustrating, but we know he’s got the ability, we hope we can get him to the spring, if not we’ll make sure we can get him back as quickly and safely as we can,” he said.

“(It’s) disappointing after what we saw in the spring and how he had come back - his trials had been great and he looked fantastic.”

Originally published as Star stayer Soulcombe ruled out of Autumn Carnival