Warwick Farm trainer Bryce Heys knows the racing game is tough, but he experienced it at its harshest as his group 1 sprinter Spieth moved on to Lindsay Park for his autumn preparation.
Heys will only be able to watch as David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig look to win an elusive group 1 with the Darley Classic and Lightning Stakes runner-up.
But Heys is pragmatic. "That's racing," he said.
"Naturally it was disappointing because he is a horse I found in a paddock as a weanling and bought and put the owners in. In the position I'm in you don't get many horses like him and to be so close to that group 1 a couple of times was very hard.
"All I can do is wish them luck and look for the next one like him. I got a nice Reset colt at the Magic Millions and I have a few I'm very interested in in New Zealand and at the classic sale.
"As they say, you can only control what is in your stable."
Heys has had a good start to the year with Travancore winning on New Year's Day and will roll out his first two-year-old of the season in Haunting Spirit at Randwick on Saturday.
The son of Snitzel is an outsider in a high-quality two-year-old race to start the day, even though he has won a Warwick Farm barrier trial.
Haunting Spirit blew the start when last in his first barrier trial before winkers were added when he won a trial at Warwick Farm. Heys believes he is probably a preparation away from being at his best, but it is important to get him to the races.
"I actually thought that trial might see him out, but he has coped with it really well and for his development it is good to get him to the races," Heys said.
"He has been a bit of a thinker and that's why we used the winkers on him in the trial, just to get him focused, and they made a big difference to him.
"I think he is capable of maturing into a nice horse and he could surprise these if he takes another step up under race-day pressure."
Haunting Spirit is a $27 hope in a race where Ruling Symbol has had support as the $4 Sportsbet favourite in front of the $1.7 million filly Estijaab at $4.50, while Misteed and Ligulate, the only runners with race experience, are $5.50 and $7.
Meanwhile, Godolphin lost one of its leading Golden Slipper chances, Elessedil, which died after a stable accident on Monday.
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