Irish stayer Defiantly, expected to set the tempo in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, was scratched on Saturday morning after Racing Victoria vets were unable to pass him fit to run, in the second shock withdrawal in three days.
Joseph O'Brien's five-year-old gelding presented with sensitivity in a hind foot when first inspected at Werribee earlier in the week, but the stable had been quietly hopeful it would come good by a follow-up examination today. Racing Victoria vets were unable to pass the horse fit to run.
Racing Victoria said in a statement that stewards had concluded the first of two rounds of mandatory pre-race physical veterinary inspections. "In the opinion of the veterinarians, Defiantly remains unsuitable to accept for the Melbourne Cup and has been withdrawn from the race by order of the stewards acting on veterinary advice," the statement said.
The scratching follows the withdrawal of the Ciaron Maher-trained stayer Saint George on Thursday after leg scans showed it was at "heightened risk of injury". Internationals Wine Dark Sea and Enfjaar both passed follow-up vet checks on Saturday morning.
Defiantly's racing planner Kevin Blake told this masthead on Friday that stable staff were confident the horse would be OK. The horse had passed all leg scans. "It was just a minor bit of sensitivity in a hind foot type of thing that happens all the time," he said.
Blake said Defiantly had had "the potential to play a big role" in setting a fast Melbourne Cup tempo. "The way he does things is quite unique," he said. "Generally, our staying races would be run at more even or a more solid tempo."
The Irish import was purchased by Australian Bloodstock earlier in the year with the Melbourne Cup always its focus, and is part-owned by media identities Yvonne Sampson and her husband Chris O'Keefe. The gelding rocketed into contention in August after a 5.5 length win in the group 2 Prix Kergorlay (3000m) at Deauville in France.
Another O'Brien runner, Small Fry, was re-inspected and, in the veterinarians' opinion, was no longer suitable to accept for the Melbourne Cup. Small Fry is currently 33rd in the order of entry. The withdrawal of Defiantly means that another O'Brien runner, Kizlyar, will make the starting 24.
The field will be finalised later today, and the barrier draw will be held at 6.30pm.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The scratching of Defiantly, an expected pace-maker, could significantly alter the dynamics of Tuesday's 3200m race, potentially favouring horses who prefer a slower tempo.
- The second high-profile withdrawal in three days (Saint George was scratched Thursday) raises questions about the fitness and pre-race screening of international runners.
- Dozens of owners and their families already in Melbourne for the race are said to be devastated by the last-minute scratching.
Background
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's most famous horse race, run over 3200 metres at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday of November. Horses must pass mandatory pre-race veterinary inspections to be cleared to run. International runners are a feature of the modern Cup, often favoured by bookmakers.
Key Perspectives
Racing Victoria: said in a statement that stewards had concluded the first round of pre-race inspections and that Defiantly remained unsuitable to accept after veterinary review; the horse was withdrawn by order of stewards.
Kevin Blake (racing planner for Joseph O'Brien): told the masthead on Friday that the stable was confident Defiantly would be OK; described the hind-foot issue as a "minor bit of sensitivity" that happens all the time; said the horse had passed all leg scans and had "the potential to play a big role" in the Cup.
What to Watch
- The barrier draw at 6.30pm Saturday, which will set the positions for the final field.
- The condition of other international runners, Wine Dark Sea and Enfjaar passed checks Saturday, but the pattern of late scratches may continue.
- Whether Defiantly's absence pushes betting markets toward a different favourite or opens up the race for a wider group of contenders.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedDefiantly was scratched after failing a veterinary check.The Age - Latest News: “Defiantly failed a vet test.”
- SupportedDefiantly was expected to set the pace in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.The Age - Latest News: “Irish import and expected pace-maker Defiantly failed a vet test. The Joseph O’Brien stayer ... was expected to turn Tuesday’s 3200m race at Flemington into a gruelling test of stamina”
- SupportedThe stable was hopeful Defiantly’s hind-foot sensitivity would improve by the follow-up examination.The Age - Latest News: “The five-year-old gelding presented with sensitivity in a hind foot when first inspected at Werribee earlier this week, but the O’Brien stable was quietly hopeful it would come good by the follow-up veterinary examinations today.”
- SupportedDefiantly’s scratching was the second shock withdrawal in three days.The Age - Latest News: “Today’s scratching followed the withdrawal of the Ciaron Maher-trained stayer Saint George on Thursday after leg scans showed it was at “heightened risk of injury”.”
- SupportedRacing Victoria’s statement said Defiantly was unsuitable to accept and had been withdrawn by stewards on veterinary advice.The Age - Latest News: ““In the opinion of the veterinarians, Defiantly remains unsuitable to accept for the Melbourne Cup and has been withdrawn from the race by order of the stewards acting on veterinary advice,” an RV statement said.”
- SupportedKevin Blake said the foot sensitivity was “just a minor bit of sensitivity in a hind foot type of thing that happens all the time”.The Age - Latest News: ““It was just a minor bit of sensitivity in a hind foot type of thing that happens all the time,” he said.”
- SupportedKevin Blake said Defiantly had “the potential to play a big role” in setting a fast Melbourne Cup tempo.The Age - Latest News: “Blake said Defiantly had had “the potential to play a big role” in setting a fast Melbourne Cup tempo.”
- SupportedKevin Blake said, “The way he does things is quite unique.”The Age - Latest News: ““The way he does things is quite unique,” Blake said.”
- SupportedKevin Blake said, “Generally, our staying races would be run at more even or a more solid tempo.”The Age - Latest News: ““Generally, our staying races would be run at more even or a more solid tempo. I think that would be the concept I’d say pretty universally amongst the internationals.””
- SupportedSaint George was withdrawn on Thursday after scans showed a heightened risk of injury.The Age - Latest News: “Today’s scratching followed the withdrawal of the Ciaron Maher-trained stayer Saint George on Thursday after leg scans showed it was at “heightened risk of injury”.”
- SupportedSmall Fry was re-inspected and veterinarians considered the horse unsuitable to accept for the Cup.The Age - Latest News: “In addition, the veterinarians re-inspected Small Fry (Joseph O’Brien) and in their opinion the horse is no longer suitable to accept for the Melbourne Cup.”
- SupportedThe field was to be finalised later Saturday, with the barrier draw at 6.30pm.The Age - Latest News: “The field will be finalised later today, and the all-important barrier draw will be held at 6.30pm.”