Melbourne Cup favourite ruled out of Flemington showpiece after failing vets check

Lexus Melbourne Cup favourite Sir Delius has been ruled out of the race by the Racing Victoria stewards after failing independent specialist scans.

It comes as the 4-1 shot was set to warm up for Australia's biggest race in the Cox Plate, for which he also headed the betting, next weekend. 

Racing Victoria announced on Friday that the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained superstar showed he was currently at heightened risk of injury after undertaking a CT and PET scan.

All runners in the Melbourne Cup must have a CT scan before October 30, with the rule brought in following the death of Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck in the race in 2021. He was the seventh horse to suffer a fatal injury in the Melbourne Cup in as many years.

No fatalities have occurred since the scans were introduced, although this year PET scans, which look into the activity of bone and soft tissue, have been added to the pre-race procedure as a secondary test for those whose CT scan raises concern.

Sir Delius has thrived since joining Australia from Jean-Claude Rouget in France. He stepped forward from his eighth-place finish in last season's Arc to win two Group 1s including at Flemington, the home of the Melbourne Cup, last time.

His absence has led to Joseph O'Brien's Al Riffa being promoted to a general 4-1 favourite for the Melbourne Cup. O'Brien has won the race twice in recent years with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020).

A RV release read: "Having reviewed the PET scan results alongside the CT scan results, the panel members have advised RV Veterinary Services that they remain of the view that Sir Delius is currently at heightened risk of injury.

"Following advice from RV Veterinary Services in relation to the specialist opinions from the imaging panel, RV Stewards have stood down Sir Delius from competing in the remainder of the 2025 Spring Racing Carnival. 

"The stewards have appraised the connections of the key information that they relied upon in making their decision."

Lexus Melbourne Cup (4.00 Flemington, November 4)
William Hill: 4 Al Riffa, 7 Half Yours, 12 Middle Earth, Valiant King, 16 Absurde, Furthur, 20 Deakin, Revelare, Vauban, 25 bar.

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