Our French import KING WAY (4yo g Thewayyouare x Artistry) has gone to the paddock after his first Australian racing campaign.
We had some ups and downs with the horse during this prep, a couple of injury issues after his first two runs, a really good effort at Moonee Valley at a track and distance that don't suit him, and then a hoof abscess that prevented us from running last Sunday.
Ultimately though the horse is yet to acclimatise to Australian conditions, we're a month into winter but The King thinks it's summer time – his coat is as short and fine as you'd see in November, not June!
"It's been a real learning curve with the horse and it just goes to show that it's not as simple as plugging a Group class horse into a new home and watching them knock up winning," Shea said.
"The horse has taken time to get used to our tracks and our racing styles and we've done a lot of work behind the scenes to help him adapt.It's pretty clear to us that he hasn't acclimatised yet, his body thinks it's summer time, so we will give him a 5-6 week break now and bring him back for the spring."