PETER'S HAND STILL STRONG DESPITE SUPERSTORM SETBACK

Last spring’s Cantala Stakes winner Superstorm won’t be seen this spring with a reoccurrence of a splint bone problem coming on top of a new throat ailment.

Owner Bob Peters said from Perth on Tuesday that the rising six-year-old had returned home to Perth for surgery and would not race again this year.

“He had that splint bone problem flare up again and we’re going to have to do something about his wind as there’s a problem there also,” Peters said.

“It was a shame because he was coming along really well.”

Peters still has a powerful team in Victoria with trainers Danny O’Brien with the first of his group 1 horses likely to step out to race on August 13 in the G2 P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m).

“At this stage, Regal Power is likely to go first-up in the Lawrence and then maybe the mile race (Makybe Diva Stakes) three weeks later and Western Empire, he’ll probably start off in the Memsie and we’ll make our way from there.”

Fellow group 1 winners Graceful Girl and Inspirational Girl are also likely to have their first-up runs in August as will Perth Cup winner Midnight Blue after his impressive jump-out at Werribee last Friday.

By Andrew Eddy, to Racing.com

Pic by Racing Photos