The four-year-old became the second leading contender to pull out of Saturday's Cox Plate in the past week after Maldivian went amiss, also with a tendon injury, and is expected to be retired from racing.

"Absolutely disastrous," jockey Steven King had summed up Predatory Pricer's day as he left Caulfield on Saturday.

But the news only got worse when trainer Paul Murray checked on his stable star yesterday morning.

"He was very lame," Murray said.

"The off-side front leg had a lot of heat in it. It looks like (he's done) a tendon.

"That's it for now, at least."

A downcast Murray immediately ruled out a Cox Plate start for Predatory Pricer, who will be scanned today to determine the extent of the injury and how long it will keep him on the sidelines.

It gave some reason for his Caulfield Cup failure the previous day, owner Alec Leopold pointed out, before saying he hoped the half-brother to Takeover Target would return to the racetrack.

"Be it in the autumn, or next spring, I would love to see him back racing in mile (1600m) and 2000m races," he said.

"At least it gives us some explanation for what happened (in the Caulfield Cup).

"The same thing happened to Maldivian and it has happened to many other horses.

"I'm a realist when it comes to racing. You have to expect a call like I got this morning, and take it in your stride."

The injury rubbed salt into the Caulfield Cup defeat, made worse by the high expectations the Murray camp harboured heading to Melbourne.

That confidence was shared by punters, who ensured Predatory Pricer was a heavily supported favourite in the cup. But the faith was badly misplaced as cups king Bart Cummings scored a seventh success in the race with Viewed.

"I don't think he is a mile-and-a-half horse," King said of Predatory Pricer.

"He never slotted in and just got pulling. He never gave himself a chance."

King said the pre-race fears that Predatory Pricer would not settle and contribute to his own downfall came "horribly true".

"He still has so much unfulfilled potential, but it was once again his nature that played against him," King said.

Said Murray after the cup: "He is just his own worst enemy.

"He is so hard going and never settled. It was very disappointing."