Trainer Steven White confirmed on Thursday morning that TAB Million Dollar Chase favourite Sennachie will not contest the series after a “minor hiccup” this week.
Sennachie, rated Australia’s number one greyhound following dazzling wins in the Group 1 Brisbane Cup and Group 1 Maturity, had been a $10 favourite with tab.com.au.
“It’s a just a Little hiccup, but we have got to put the welfare of the dog first,” White said on Thursday morning.
“So we’re not going to rush for the Million Dollar Chase. We’ve decided we’ll probably go towards the Adelaide Cup (Final on October 11), the Top Gun (November 9) and the Melbourne Cup (Final on November 29).”
Asked if the Million Dollar Chase was definitely out of consideration, White replied: “Yeah. It’s just a heavy workload. He’s going to have to be travelling back and forward (to NSW) and it’s just not going to work.
“It’s just going to be too hard and I don’t think I’d be able to if he had to do it for seven weeks, and then there is no way I could get him back (up to his peak) for the Top Gun which he probably has an invitation for already.”
White had been intending on bringing Sennachie to Bulli to trial next Monday night, with an eye at running in the Bulli MDC heats on September 9.
That decision was made after Sennachie trialled brilliantly at Sandown last weekend, but White said the “Little hiccup” meant scrapping those plans.
“It’s just a minor injury hiccup, nothing to worry about, and will just set us back a week to 10 days. So it’s not worth rushing for it (the MDC).
“He’s already at the top of the tree, and the Million Dollar Chase is not going to make or break him.
“As I said you’ve got to put the welfare of the dog first.”
