Group One placed sprinter Better Than Ready is not certain to race in the spring with trainer Kelly Schweida keen to give the colt as much time as he needs to fully develop.
Better Than Ready will spell for another month before Schweida makes any decisions on his immediate racing future.
"Whether we have enough time to get him ready for some races in the spring is a bit up in the air at the moment," Schweida said.
"After he ran in the Stradbroke I wanted to give him a minimum of six weeks off because he hasn't had any decent time in the paddock since his first start."
Schweida believes the time off will be critical for Better Than Ready's physical development.
"His feet are worn out," he said.
"He had shoes on his feet for three months before his first start in a race. Then later on he broke the foot away bad and I've never been able to get shoes off him since.
"That's why I want to give him enough time out to let his little feet grow and give them a break."
Schweida estimates Better Than Ready has had only three weeks in the spelling paddock since May last year.
The son of More Than Ready turned in the worst run of his career when he finished last to Linton in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 8.
"He was off the track all the way and pulled up a little bit distressed after the race," Schweida said.
"I'm not sure of the reason. It's not like him at all.
"He had a long campaign and I might have gone to the well one too many times."
Because Better Than Ready performed well below his best in the Stradbroke, Schweida wasn't able to gauge the colt's ability to handle 1400 metres.
He suspects the BTC Cup took a heavy toll on Better Than Ready after he finished third to fellow three-year-old Your Song on a heavy track.
"He went into that race not having raced for three weeks and it was like 1400 (metres) or a mile on the wet track that day," he said.
"The horses that finished in front of him in the BTC Cup (Your Song and Rain Affair) didn't go on after that as well.
"I'm only guessing but time will tell."
Schweida said winning a Group One race with Better Than Ready remained his highest priority.