2025 Spring Racing Carnival over for Linebacker

High-class miler Linebacker has endured another interrupted spring, but his trainers insist the gelding will bounce back strongly when he returns in the autumn.

The Randwick Guineas winner was being primed for an ambitious Epsom Handicap to Golden Eagle campaign, only for a minor issue to knock him off schedule.

Though he showed his class winning the Silver Eagle (1300m), the improvised lead-in was not ideal and he finished seventh in the Golden Eagle.

“The race turned into a tough 1500 and the way the prep had to be reshaped didn’t give him the right foundation,” co-trainer Tom Charlton said.

“The ground was messy, he got back, and when he started to wind up, the gap didn’t come. It was just one of those runs.”

It was another case of what might have been after a similarly frustrating spring the previous year, which ultimately resulted in Linebacker being gelded.

The operation paid off when he stormed back in the autumn to claim the Randwick Guineas and finish an unlucky eighth in the Doncaster Mile.

“He’ll head to the paddock now and be set for an autumn campaign,” Charlton said.

“We’ll look at races like the Canterbury Stakes, George Ryder and Doncaster, then work out his ideal distance profile.”

For betting on the autumn features, compare bookmakers via the Australian betting sites list.