Trainer Mick Price is hoping a shred of good news delivered with the win of the heavily backed Eximius at Sandown on Wednesday could be a sign his luck is changing.
While Price is producing his regular flow of winners, he has endured some shocking misfortune with some of his best horses over the past six months.
Last weekend promising filly Isabella Snowflake suffered a career threatening tendon injury in the Galaxy at Rosehill.
Before that his outstanding filly Samaready suffered a muscle injury in her hindquarters that put her out for the autumn, having missed the spring with illness.
While Eximius's win in the Drum Theatre Handicap (1400m) hasn't compensated the stable for those setbacks, Price said it accompanied some promising news concerning Isabella Snowflake.
The filly underwent surgery on Saturday night to repair the superficial flexor tendon that had almost been severed.
Price said she has since progressed so well his hopes of her returning to the track had been revived.
"She's in a cast and she's walking and she'll require a lot more work to get her through it," he said.
"But I'm not giving up hope. There are examples of others who have come through this when their tendon was hanging by a thread."
Isabella Snowflake ran courageously to make ground and be beaten by less than four lengths in the Galaxy won by Bel Sprinter.