By Glenn Davis
Toowoomba trainer Dale Groves will need to find another kick-off point for talented mare Spirit’s Charm after being scratched from Doomben on Wednesday.
Spirit’s Charm was set to have her first start since winning at Gatton in early May.
She was ready to line up in the Class 4 Handicap over 1200 metres before Groves reported an elevated temperature in the mare and was scratched on Tuesday morning.
The five-year-old has won four of her 24 starts.
Spirit’s Charm barrier trialled at Toowoomba last week, finishing a close-up third behind the Kevin Kemp-trained Linthorpe Lad over 925 metres.
“Her trial was quite good last week but she’s not a 900 metre horse and they went fairly quick in the trial,” Groves said.
“She knocked up a bit towards the end but she’ll take a lot of benefit from her trial."
Groves has a stable of nine horses in work on his property just outside Toowoomba.
Spirit’s Charm is a daughter of Spirit Of Boom and was purchased privately by Groves for only $5,000 as an unraced three-year-old from fellow Toowoomba trainer Steve Tregea.
She is part-owned by Groves’ wife Kristy Banks.
Banks was a popular jockey in South East Queensland before her riding career was cut short after being involved in a serious race fall in 2011.
She was paralysed from the waist down but she still maintains an active interest in racing helping Groves with stable duties.
Groves cut his teeth working for the late Darryl Gollan after leaving school and rode track work for him for 15 years before becoming a trainer three years ago.