ON-course it was a weekend of mixed results for Charlie Appleby, though he would be delighted with Godolphin’s win in the Ladbroke (Caulfield) Stakes with Bentatl, while providing the quinella with Blair House.

Comicas (eighth) and Jungle Cat (13th) battled away at Caulfield and on Sunday, Folkswood ran seventh, unable to repeat his Cranbourne Cup win of 12 months earlier.

Off-course though, the impact was much greater, a training incident at the Werribee Quarantine centre saw Hamada sustain a fracture to his near-hind. Rushed to the University of Melbourne’s Werribee Equine Centre the winner of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury in August couldn’t be saved.

“On vet’s advice, the nature of the injury left us no alternative. The kindest course of action was to euthanise the horse,” said Appleby.

Compounding the news was the confirmation that July’s Steventon Stakes winner Emotionless has been ruled out of the spring with a stress fracture to his pelvis, with an injury cloud also over Cross Counter.

A laceration to a leg forcing the stable to box rest their Cape Cross gelding for two days.

“It is annoying, but the Cup is over three weeks away and there is time for him to be ready, provided his recovery is as we expect,” said Appleby.