A mild bout of colic is the reason Adelaide horseman Paul Beshara was forced to scratch the defending champion Richie’s Vibe from Saturday’s 2015 Australia Stakes field earlier this week.

All was going well ahead of the Danerich five-year-old’s title defense in the $200,000 Group 2 Jeep Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley Racecourse this weekend.

Richie’s Vibe won the race 12 months ago during last year’s Melbourne Summer Racing Carnival when prepared by Tony Vasil, and has had just the one run for his current trainer Beshara.

That was back on August 30 in the Group 3 Theshark.com.au Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield when running a mid-field seventh behind Flamberge in his first run in six months.

Hamstring issues then saw him sidelined again.

Beshara had been confident this week though the horse was going as good as ever and was ready to run an improved race in the Australia Stakes were he was to face eight rivals from a nice barrier three draw with Damien Oliver in the saddle.

On Thursday though it was discovered the horse, a winner of five of his 14 starts to date for $342,150 in prize money, was suffering from a mild colic attack that Beshara believes could be due to a bad reaction to drinking some water pre-swim yesterday.

While he will be out of action this Australia Day long weekend, Beshara is confident Richie’s Vibe will be back to the races quickly with a decision to be made in the next few days of where to next.

Australia Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au are currently led at $1.80 by the firming odds-on favourite Dissident.

Peter Moody’s multiple Group 1 winner is first-up here racing for the first time since a sixth in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) that he bled during forcing an automatic three month ban.

Before that the Sebring four-year-old was on fire winning the Group 1 Memsie Stakes – Makybe Diva Stakes double and running second to Trust In A Gust in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

More Group 1 glory is set for Dissident this Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival then with Moody looking at a number of options with the smart sprinter including the $500,000 Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) on February 28.

The other best fancied Australia Stakes hopes are then Tudor ($5.50), last start Kensington Stakes third-placed Hard Stride ($6) and last start Moonee Valley winner It Is Written ($8).

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