A minor setback kept McGaw out of his first-up run at Caulfield, but trainers Emma-Lee and David Browne remain upbeat about his spring ambitions.

The colt had been set for the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m), but a mild temperature spike the night before forced his withdrawal. He will instead head to Caulfield for a track gallop before tackling the Group 3 H D F McNeil Stakes (1200m) on August 30.

“He was just a bit dull on Friday afternoon,” Emma-Lee Browne said.

“It’s unfortunate. It was very minor, and we scoped him after he had a temperature on Friday, and when scoped him there was a tiny bit of mucus.

“We thought if he had run, you get into that mind where you wonder if they have come back well and up to it, but luckily, we found out early.

“It was pretty minor, but we didn’t want to flatten him first-up when he wasn’t 100 per cent, so we’ll take him to Caulfield on the Tuesday before the next meeting.

“A trip away is almost like a jump-out for him as he works himself pretty hard, so we’ll just have to wait a little longer now to see him back.”

Basilinna, another of the stable’s spring hopes, will also resume on the same program in a 2000m event. She already has a guaranteed spot in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) after taking out the Andrew Ramsden (2800m) earlier this year.

Browne said the entire campaign has been structured with the Cup as her fifth run.

“She does prefer to get out over a bit of ground straight away, that seems to keep her happy,” Browne said.

“We’ve programmed in for the Cup to be fifth up, because that seems to be when she has gone very, very well.

“It’s a nice position to be in, but its slightly nerve-racking also.”

Stablemates Scary and Statuario, both Caulfield Cup nominees, are being aimed at the So You Think Stakes (1500m) at Moonee Valley on September 6 for their spring kick-offs.