English import Ibicenco is to undergo surgery to remove a bone chip and is almost certain to be sidelined through next year's autumn carnival.

Ibicenco proved to be the quiet achiever of the largest ever international contingent to come to Melbourne for a spring carnival.

The son of Shirocco had scored only one win before coming to Australia and was the least illustrious member of trainer Luca Cumani's four-horse team.

But after running a respectable first-up race at Moonee Valley, Ibicenco was the unlucky runner in the Lexus Stakes at Flemington and then raced up to that form when he won Saturday's Sandown Cup (3200m).

After being bought by Australian owners OTI Racing, Ibicenco had been due to stay in Australia to be trained by Peter Moody and was to have been set for the Sydney Cup.

But OTI's Terry Henderson said Ibicenco is now unlikely to appear again until late in the autumn.

Ibicenco's Sandown Cup success earned connections a $100,000 bonus available to horses balloted from the Melbourne Cup.