Darren Weir was left a frustrated trainer when Hellbent had to be scratched from a stakes race at Caulfield.

Hellbent, the pre-race favourite for the Group Two Caulfield Sprint, was withdrawn with a swollen off-hind cannon.

Weir told stewards Hellbent got his hind leg over a partition dividing the on-course stalls.

The trainer had arranged for Hellbent to have a vacant stall either side of him as he's an entire, requiring space.

As Weir's large team of horses were stabled near the international contenders running in the Caulfield Cup, quarantine regulations require three stalls to be kept vacant.

Weir's staff had placed another horse, a colt, too close to the international horses and were told to move the horse, placing that colt next to Hellbent who then became fractious and lashed out.

Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey told Weir he was unaware of the situation around the scratching of Hellbent.

"It doesn't help you today but it is something we'll have to take up with the club," Bailey said.