Racing: Injury ends superstar filly's season and opens up NZ Oaks market

Champion filly Seachange is out of racing until next season.

The six-from-six Seachange was scratched from Saturday's $60,000 Desert Gold Stakes, for which she was the hot favourite in pre-post betting, with what was thought to be a stone bruise.

"It wasn't coming back as quickly as we thought and when we had it x-rayed yesterday it proved to be a small fragment off a pedal bone," said The Oaks manager Rick Williams.

"The vet told us we could start swimming her in three to four weeks, but what's left after that - it's better to spell her and come back for the spring treble leading to the Kelt Capital."

Williams said he and trainer Ralph Manning had no idea what had caused the injury.

"Maybe she kicked out in her box - who knows?"

Seachange had been hot early favourite for the New Zealand Bloodstock Oaks at Trentham.

"She had been getting better and better - she'd definitely improved since winning at Woodville," said Williams.

"We really don't know how good she might be. She could be anything."

Williams is typical of those who can always find the positive in the negative.

"It's better that it happened now than just before the 1000 Guineas," he said in reference to her great win in the Riccarton classic in November.

In Seachange's latest outing, just three weeks ago, she thrashed the outstanding Derby prospect Wahid.