Trainer Kris Lees has lost one of his aces for the remainder of the spring carnival.
Invincible Gem, an emphatic first-up winner of the Group II Missile Stakes (1200m) in August, will not race again this preparation after enduring a succession of setbacks.
"She had a cough so we had to scratch her from the Tibbie Stakes (at Newcastle) and then it's just been one thing after the other since, so I've decided the best thing to do by her is to just tip her out and start again in autumn," Lees said.
Invincible Gem was shaping as a key Epsom Handicap contender for Lees but the Newcastle horseman is now likely to have only Sound Proposition in the $1 million Randwick mile.
Sense Of Occasion is a "50-50" chance of taking his place in this year's Epsom Handicap after being allocated 56kg at the release of weights on Monday.
The Doomben Cup winner from last season finished fifth in a 1000m barrier trial at Gosford on Tuesday morning.
"I'm just not sure about him carrying that sort of weight in an Epsom so we are also looking at the Hill Stakes (1800m) with him on the same day which is worth a bit of prizemoney ($500,000) now," Lees said.
Meanwhile, a second crack at the Epsom is "highly unlikely" for Le Romain after the gelding pulled up with a dirty throat following a disappointing 11th in the Group I Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday.
Lees has brought Le Romain back to his Newcastle stables as he contemplates the horse's immediate future.
"We'll just see how he goes over the next few days – he could go back down to Melbourne towards the end of the carnival," Lees said.
