Login
WATCH FREE
50+
Melbourne Cup: Leading British and Irish contenders at risk of being scratched
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Thu 29 Oct 2026
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Defiantly faces an anxious wait before discovering if he can take his place in the line-up for the Lexus Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
The son of Kameko is a leading contender for the ‘race that stops a nation’, but is one of five horses who will have to be reexamined by vets on Saturday following Racing Victoria’s mandatory inspections on Thursday.
Defiantly was found to be missing his right-hind shoe and a change in his gait was identified by vets. The four-year-old will be reshod before being looking at again.
British raiders Enfjaar (Roger Varian) and Wine Dark Sea (Harry Charlton) will also be looked at again, alongside the former Willie Mullins-trained Vauban, 12th in the race last year and now trained by Gai Waterhouse.
Enfjaar finalised his preparations for Australia’s greatest race with a third-place finish in the Group One Caulfield Cup, beaten just a length by Kingswood and Saint George.
Trained by Ciaron Maher, Saint George was the general second-favourite but has been withdrawn after diagnostic imaging experts believed he was at a high risk of injury following a review of CT and PET scans, while vets also advised the withdrawal of the Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained The Euphrates.
Join Racing TV for FREE!
Related posts
RaceiQ: the ten best jumpers over fences
Breeders' Cup: assessing Aidan O'Brien's powerful team
Dave Nevison's Thursday tips: "A good run looks highly likely"
Saturday ante-post tips: 20-1 and 6-1 chances among four selections
2026 Breeders' Cup tips: Rachel Candelora's five best bets
Featured offers
Bet £20 and Get £40 in Free Bets with Unibet
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
18+. GambleAware.org. New GB customers only. Min £20 debit card or instant banking transfer deposit. Place a £20+ bet on Horse Racing at min odds 2/5 (1.4) each leg for 4x £10 Free Bets (can be used on Racing Bet Builder). Claim within 30 days. Valid for Horse Racing only. Geographical restrictions and Further T&C’s apply
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets + Money Back as a Free Bet if 2nd to SP Fav with BOYLE Sports
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&C's apply. 18+. IRE/NI & UK online only. Max Free Bet £/€10. Win or win part of e/w outright singles. 5+ runners. 1st bet on each race. Free/void/antepost bets don't qualify. In event of a dead heat, offer won’t apply. Applies to First Past the Post result. Unnamed 2nd Favs don’t qualify. Acc & Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
Bet £10 get £40 in free bets with Kwiff
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
New UK customers. Place a £10 real money bet at min. 2.0 odds within 5 days of deposit. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 Single, 2 Accas & 1 Bet Builder (min. 3 selections each). Excludes cashout, E/W, Multis, Ineligible Markets & Odds Boosts. Credited after bet settlement. 7-day expiry. T&Cs apply. 18+ GambleAware
Bet £10 get £30 in Free Bets with talkSPORT BET
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10+ on any horse racing markets within 7 days of sign up. Get 3 x £10 Free Bets for set horse racing markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. 18+ GambleAware
Get 50% back up to £50 with QuinnBet
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses as a Free Bet up to £50, valid for 7 days. 18+ GambleAware.
Copyright 2026 Racing TV - All Rights Reserved.
Please bet responsibly
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved