After failing to place in the Australian Guineas, Hucklebuck had two poor showings in Brisbane before being spelled.
Trainer Phillip Stokes claimed the horse disliked the clockwise running in the northern states.
[5] A week later, Hucklebuck earned $600,000 when he won the Group 1 Emirates Stakes, narrowly outlasting Lucky Hussler.
Having lost the previous two attempts at 1600 metres, there was some doubt over Hucklebuck's ability to race at the distance.
"[10] Hucklebuck did go on to make his Sydney debut a fortnight later, finishing 8th in the George Ryder Stakes.
Stokes said, "He's got a tear in his suspensory (ligament) and it would require four months off and he's had a few niggling problems for a while now so we thought it would be better to retire him.