Facile is facing a race against time to prove her fitness for the $5 million Golden Slipper after a veterinary examination on Wednesday found her to be mildly lame in her near foreleg.
All horses in the 16-strong field have undergone routine pre-race inspections and the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Facile is the only one currently under a cloud.
Racing NSW veterinary officials will continue to monitor Facile’s condition with the filly to undergo another examination later in the week to determine if she can take her place.
She is a $41 chance for the juvenile showpiece and if she fails her final fitness test, it will pave the way for emergency Militarize to join his Chris Waller-trained stablemates Lazzago and Shinzo in the race.
The issue with Facile followed earlier confirmation that Lost And Running would not be resuming in Saturday’s Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) after he suffered a setback on the eve of his scheduled autumn carnival return.
Trainer John O’Shea advised stewards the star sprinter had filling in a leg and would not be among acceptances for the feature as expected.
In his absence, Uncommon James is the $5 Galaxy unibet favourite.