After suffering from a minor illness setback that saw them well beaten over the weekend, the race is now for Marwood to be fit enough for a shot at the Caulfield Guineas 2013 Saturday week.

Trainer Michael Moroney admits that he’s got a tough couple of weeks ahead if he is to get his O’Reilly gelding Marwood back to full fitness following a bout of pharyngitis.

The illness was found to be the cause of their below par performance in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Sunday.

Finishing five lengths away sixth to surprise winner Éclair Big Bang, now an $8 chance for the 2013 Caulfield Guineas, Marwood suffered their first defeat in the Prelude having previously won both of their starts by easy margins.

“We scoped him he’s got a bit of pharyngitis and that’s probably the reason for his effort,” Moroney told Racing Victoria.

“Nick Hall (jockey) came back in mystified because he said he just didn’t quicken up and he knows he’s got a real turn of foot.

”He said there was something wrong with him he just couldn’t work out what. He was travelling easily enough to quicken up but just didn’t.”

A Seymour debut by Marwood produced a five length success over 1200m in the mud which was followed by their four and a half length victory over Curragh King in a 1400m handicap at Bendigo at the start of September.

Confident the three-year-old has a nice win in them, Moroney is now unsure whether that will be in the $1 million Group 1 BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m).

They remain in contention for the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival classic and pay $16 in the latest Caulfield Guineas odds led by the Peter Snowden-trained Long John ($4.20).

However they could be too far behind the eight-ball to warrant an acceptance according to Moroney.

“Hopefully we can get over that quickly enough to run in the Guineas,” the Flemington-based horseman said.

“Things are going to have to go 100 percent for him.”

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