Saint George, regarded as a serious chance for Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, has been scratched from the race after failing a mandatory pre-race scan, with stewards advising connections that an independent panel reported the horse was at a heightened risk of injury.
Mandatory pre-race scans have become a feature of the Melbourne Cup after six runners died between 2013 and 2020, putting the race at risk. The scans have also denied other notable runners a start in previous years.
Saint George was to be ridden by Blake Shinn and was regarded as a serious chance after finishing fifth in the Cox Plate on Saturday. The horse ran 22nd in his only previous Cup start in 2024 but has won four races since.
The scratching has reshaped the field. The scratching opens the door for Bendigo Cup winner So You Are, who received a one-kilogram penalty for that win, to gain a start; he will carry 54 kilograms under Rachel King. Heavily favoured Hopewell Rock moves from 24th to 23rd in the order of entry and cannot be displaced. With The Euphrates also reportedly not proceeding, Greg Hickman-trained Future History will make the field, and last year's Cup-winning jockey Jamie Melham has been booked to ride.
Maher still has seven other runners in the Cup: Point of Law, Shockletz, Mr Monaco, Juja Kibo, Middle Earth, Royal Supremacy and Zahrann. Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien has five horses in Tuesday's race.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The scratching of a leading contender reshapes the Melbourne Cup field and highlights the ongoing priority on horse welfare.
- The mandatory scan programme, introduced after a spate of deaths, remains a decisive factor that can remove prominent horses.
- The decision creates opportunities for other horses, potentially altering race dynamics.
Background
The Melbourne Cup, Australia's most famous horse race, introduced mandatory pre-race scans after six runners died between 2013 and 2020. Saint George, a Caulfield Cup runner-up, was scratched after a CT and PET scan review by an independent panel indicated a heightened risk of injury.
What to Watch
- Tuesday's Melbourne Cup race, with the final field still subject to further scratchings.
- How So You Are and Hopewell Rock perform after benefiting from Saint George's absence.
- Whether any further pre-race scan results emerge before race day.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedSaint George was scratched from the Melbourne Cup after failing a mandatory pre-race scan.The Age - Latest News: “Saint George was scratched from the race after failing a mandatory pre-race scan.”
- SupportedThe scratching opens a start for Bendigo Cup winner So You Are.The Age - Latest News: “opening the door for Wednesday’s Bendigo Cup winner So You Are to gain a start in the race”
- SupportedThe scratching guarantees Hopewell Rock a start.The Age - Latest News: “Saint George’s scratching also guarantees heavily favoured international Hopewell Rock a start in the race”
- SupportedSaint George was regarded as a serious chance after finishing fifth in the Cox Plate on Saturday.The Age - Latest News: “was regarded as a serious chance after a slashing fifth in the Cox Plate at Flemington on Saturday.”
- SupportedAn independent panel reported that Saint George was at heightened risk of injury, and stewards advised his connections.The Age - Latest News: “Stewards advised connections that an independent panel of diagnostic imaging specialists had reviewed both a CT scan and a positron emission tomography (PET) scan and reported the horse was “at a heightened risk of injury””
- SupportedSix runners died between 2013 and 2020, and the mandatory scans became a feature of the Melbourne Cup after that, putting the race at risk.The Age - Latest News: “The mandatory pre-race scans have become a feature of the Melbourne Cup after six runners died between 2013 and 2020, putting the race at risk.”
- Reports differSo You Are received a one-kilogram penalty for his Bendigo Cup win.The Age - Latest News: “So You Are to gain a start in the race after he received a one-kilogram penalty for his win.”
- SupportedSo You Are will carry 54 kilograms and be ridden by Rachel King.The Age - Latest News: “So You Are will start with 54 kilograms and be ridden by Rachel King.”
- SupportedHopewell Rock moved from 24th to 23rd in the order of entry and could not be displaced.The Age - Latest News: “he will now move from 24th in the order of entry to 23 and can’t be displaced.”
- SupportedSaint George ran 22nd in his only previous Melbourne Cup start, in 2024.The Age - Latest News: “Saint George ran 22nd in his only start in the Melbourne Cup in 2024”
- SupportedSaint George has won four races since that Melbourne Cup start.The Age - Latest News: “but has won four races since”
- SupportedThe Euphrates is reportedly not proceeding to the race, so Future History will make the field.The Age - Latest News: “The Euphrates is also reportedly not pushing on to the race, which means the Greg Hickman-trained Future History will make the field.”