‘They’re 100 per cent right’: Why this owner agrees with his horse missing the Cup

Racing Victoria has stuck firm to its rigid safety protocols in the wake of the devastating Caulfield Cup horse death by scratching third favourite Saint George from Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.

The forced removal of the striking grey gelding, which failed mandatory pre-race scans this week, reduces leading trainer Ciaron Maher’s powerful Melbourne Cup hand to seven runners.

Stewards advised connections that Saint George was “at a heightened risk of injury” after a panel of three independent vets reviewed CT and positron emission tomography (PET) scans.

The galloper, to be ridden by Blake Shinn, rocketed into contention after running second in the Caulfield Cup and a slashing fifth in last week’s Cox Plate.

He will be sent for a spell and won’t race again this spring.

The racing industry was put on high-alert a fortnight ago after the devastating two-horse fall in the Caulfield Cup, which resulted in dual group 1 winner Ohope Wins being put down.

The tragic outcome was ruled an “unfortunate accident” and an “unavoidable risk” by racing officials, and was not related to pre-race soundness issue that have dogged the Melbourne Cup in the past.

The mandatory pre-race scans became a feature of stringent Melbourne Cup safety protocols after six runners died between 2013 and 2020, putting the race at risk.

Saint George’s scratching guarantees heavily favoured international Hopewell Rock a start in the race, as he will now move from 24th in the order of entry to 23, while Wednesday’s Bendigo Cup winner So You Are makes the field after being penalised 1kg by handicapper David Hegan.

The Euphrates is also reportedly not pushing on to the race, which means the Greg Hickman -trained Future History is on the verge of making the field.

The Age has confirmed last year’s Cup-winning jockey, Jamie Melham, is on stand by to ride the eight-year-old.

Despite the disappointment of their Cup runner being scratched on Thursday, well-known owners Ozzie Kheir and John O’Neill accepted that safety came first.

It is not the first time they have had horses pulled out so close to the race, following a leg injury to Lucas Cranach in 2012, the controversial withdrawal of Marmelo in 2019 after he ran second the year before, and the scratching of Le Don De Vie in 2022.

They still have three runners engaged in this year’s Cup – Middle Earth, Point Of Law and Zahrann – all trained by Maher.

“I’m the first one, I love to blame everyone else when I’m annoyed, but I think the whole process was fine. It’s fair, and there are no disputes or arguments about the issue,” Kheir said.

“So it’s black and white as far as we’re concerned, and they’re 100 per cent right.

“The horse trotted up sound. There’s no signs of him being lame or sore, but with the scans, there is a heightened risk, and we wouldn’t take that risk for the horse or anyone riding the horse.”

O’Neill said they thought import Marmelo would win the Cup in 2019 after watching champion jockey Hugh Bowman ride him in a lead-up track gallop.

“He failed the scans the week before the Cup, and so there was a bit of hoo-ha about that,” O’Neill said.

“But, ultimately, the rules are very clear, and the rules are that they have to pass CT scans, they have to pass suitable MRIs, and all of the X-rays. And if there’s any danger, it’s left up to experts to make a decision.

“We have got to stick to the rules. It’s a really important part of the process.”

Kheir and O’Niell won the 2021 Cup with Verry Elleegant as well as having three runners-up – Marmelo (2018), Incentivise (2021) and Soulcombe (2023).

“For people that hadn’t had Cup runners before, it would be devastating, and it is, you know, for the staff and for Ciaron and for ourselves,” O’Neill said.

“You’ve got to stick to the rules, and we’ve got Point Of Law, and we’ve got Zahrann, and we’ve got Middle Earth in the race.

“So, you know, effectively a similar ownership group would have had four horses, and now we’re going to have three, so we can’t really blue.”

Maher’s runners this year also include Shockletz, Mr Monaco, Juja Kibo and Royal Supremacy.

Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien has five runners in Tuesday’s big race.

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