Extract courtesy SMH website:

Once upon a time it would have been feared Lovely Jubly was "got at" after her appalling effort in the Magic Millions Trophy for three-year-olds at the Gold Coast. But it was quickly diagnosed as a "heart attack".

Chief steward Steve Railton was swift to divulge that the toast of the latest Brisbane winter carnival had been blood-tested before the race and found to be clean.

However, after her dismal performance - which caused jockey Brett Prebble to say: "She kept on getting slower and slower" - Lovely Jubly was checked by the club vets and found to have "heart arrhythmia".

This is a recent phenomenon and back in the days when fence jumpers plied their trade it hadn't been discovered as a worthwhile explanation for a run that indicated some type of go-slow might have been applied.

The good news for connections is that horses have come back after such attacks to something like their best.

Last winter many figured Lovely Jubly was the best two-year-old of the season following successes in the QTC Sires' Produce and T.J.Smith at Eagle Farm. Owner David Throsby wisely didn't rush her into the spring, electing to keep her for the Magic Millions.

Most figured she had gone amiss yesterday after Prebble eased her out of the race at the 600-metre mark.

But trainer Kevin Robinson, who prepares her at Berry on the NSW South Coast, said after consulting the jockey that she returned after the race with nothing visibly amiss.

"I'm at a loss," Robinson told stewards in describing the performance of Lovely Jubly, starting at 13-4 in a good betting race.

Going into the engagement the trainer figured the filly was spot-on.

Many well-performed two-year-olds do not later recapture the form of their youth, but Biaggio, from the Gai Waterhouse stable, did not even race until three. The galloper saved the day for NSW by being able to find the line in the MM Trophy, a point that was lacking with others in the 1400m pressure test.

Not that Private Steer, the 11-4 favourite, was ever in a position to give her supporters any cheer and she ended up beaten 12 lengths.

Heart attack? No, Railton disclosed. Wide running. She just covered too much ground.

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