‘Gut-wrenching’: O’Brien’s Cup pain; Via Sistina in doubt

“At the end of the day, at Coolmore the horse comes first; everything about the horse. The decision has been made and that is that,” Magnier said.

All entrants to the Melbourne Cup must undergo testing before being allowed to run, examinations which became more stringent from 2021 onwards after a series of runners broke down or died in the race with O’Brien’s runner Anthony Van Dyck being euthanised after breaking down in the 2020 Melbourne Cup.

That horse was the seventh Cup-related death since 2013 and led to an investigation into why international runners were being injured at a higher rate than local horses during the Spring Carnival. A raft of recommendations, including compulsory MRI scans, were announced in April 2021. There have been no deaths in the Cup since 2021.

Jan Brueghel had passed the required tests before leaving Ireland. The CT scans used in those tests are slightly different to the MRI technology used in Melbourne.

Prominent owner Nick Williams said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he felt sorry for Magnier and the Coolmoore team. “They do so much for our industry here and globally, to have the the decision on his suitability to race reversed so close to the Cup after investing huge amounts of time and money to travel half way around the world is disappointing,” Williams wrote.

O’Brien was critical of Racing Victorian testing protocols last month when he revealed he was waiting for vets to test his Cup hopefuls, Illinois and Jan Brueghel.

“They are all getting scanned over the next while and then they check them, but very few horses pass the criteria, especially young horses,” he told Racing Post in September.

“It’s very difficult for three-year-olds to get through because they are still growing and their bones are still maturing, so I wouldn’t be sure about any of them getting in and being allowed to run. It’s ridiculous really.”

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O’Brien is not the first trainer to vent frustration at the tests imposed on potential runners. Some owners and international trainers have expressed reluctance to bring horses to the race because of the strict conditions. But prominent Australian trainers, such as Chris Waller, say the moves as necessary to protect the race’s reputation.

Racing Victoria stewards outlined their reasons for the decision in a statement.

“Jan Brueghel was presented at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre in Werribee on Saturday, 26 October for compulsory CT scans of its distal limbs,” the statement said.

“Reports received from an expert panel of internationally renowned equine surgeons and diagnostic imaging specialists, who reviewed Jan Brueghel’s CT scan results, indicate that the horse is currently at heightened risk of injury.

“Following advice from RV Veterinary Services in relation to the specialist opinions from the independent imaging panel, RV stewards ordered the withdrawal of Jan Brueghel from the Melbourne Cup on the basis that he was unsuitable to compete.”

While Via Sistina’s record-breaking win in Saturday’s Cox Plate – where she set a new track record in an eight-length victory – made her favourite for Tuesday’s two-mile handicap, Waller remains wary of asking her to do too much in this preparation.

Waller said the horse’s Cox Plate brilliance was among “100 things” for him to consider before making his call. The variables he is weighing up include: how she recovered; the impact of Saturday’s run; whether she would get another opportunity as good as this to win the race; her body language; whether she would run the trip; her future racing program; the weight; and, the expectations she would carry.

The master trainer said that putting in a career-best performance “does take its toll” on a horse, and it was unrealistic to expect Via Sistina would run at that level again so soon. He said the horse had been in good spirits since the win, bucking and squealing out in the paddock.

“She seems fine, but you never really know until a few more days, and even, in fact, until they run,” Waller said.

“We are just making sure that we’re preserving her to ensure that wasn’t just a one-off run, and she’s got a lot more to come.”

He said he would be watching her body language to ascertain her readiness to run as he discussed her best program with the owners, Yulong Investments, with a visit to Hong Kong among the options.

In 2021, Waller agonised over whether to back up champion mare Verry Elleegant in the Melbourne Cup after she ran third in the Cox Plate, but his decision to run paid off when the horse won.

He said that experience would not influence his decision on Via Sistina.

“Every horse is different,” Waller said. “There would be 100 things that we [are] considering.”

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Waller also trains Caulfield Cup runner-up and Melbourne Cup fancy Buckaroo, which did track work at Flemington on Tuesday. Waller admitted he was uncertain whether the two-mile journey would suit the Fastnet Rock stallion, but he took confidence from its Caulfield finish.

Waller also has Metropolitan winner Land Legend, who came third in the Caulfield Cup. He said he used lessons from Cups king Bart Cummings to understand how to help it settle. On Tuesday, jockey Stephen Arnold rode him on a loose bridle.

“He was just too keen in the Caulfield Cup,” Waller said.

He knows the racing public is keen to see Via Sistina run in the Cup, so will not wait until Saturday to make the decision as he did with Verry Elleegant.

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