Latrobe to miss the Melbourne Cup with Mackinnon preferred

Last year's Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Joseph O'Brien will not defend the trophy after owner Lloyd Williams announced his Irish Derby winner Latrobe will be redirected to the Seppelt Mackinnon Stakes on the final Saturday of the Spring Carnival on November 10.

Despite possessing a remarkably similar profile to last year's winner Rekindling, having prepped for his Melbourne sojourn with a second in the Irish St Leger (Rekindling also took in a St Leger, finishing fourth at Doncaster), Latrobe looked the ideal type for a Cup bid, but Williams announced on Thursday "the Cup this year at 3,200m is too soon for him".

Williams, the record-holding six-time Melbourne Cup-winning owner, prizes the Cup above all others and usually is mob-handed, so the announcement came as something of a shock – but he still has the favourite for the race, runaway Herbert Power winner Yucatan Ire.

Mark Power, Joseph O'Brien's travelling head lad, added: "The decision came after Nick and Lloyd [Williams] discussed it with Joseph as it's what's in the best interests of the horse. They decided the Mackinnon would be a better target at this stage of his career than going for the Melbourne Cup."

Rostropovich, the horse Latrobe beat half a length when winning the Irish Derby, runs in Saturday's Ladbrokes Cox Plate for Joseph's father Aidan O'Brien.

Withhold to be given the winter off after brave effort

Tom Charlton on Thursday spoke of his admiration for Withhold, after the horse galloped all the way to the line depsite bursting blood vessels in each nostril, and stated he would be given a long break.

The three-month ban for bursting does not exist back home but Charlton, assistant trainer to father Roger, said: "We wouldn't dream of trying to run him again down here, it wouldn't be the right thing. It'll be a long time off now, we'll give him the whole winter. We'll give him time off for his lungs to recover."

Withhold: makes seasonal reappearance at Newcastle on SaturdayCredit: Mark Cranham

On the incident he added: "It was a bit of a freak accident – I saw him go quite early on, around three or four furlongs out – his head went so the bleed would have happened quite early on. I could tell it had happened and when he came by me half a furlong out I could see blood coming from his nose.

"To only be beaten five lengths when something like that's happened is a real credit to the horse, normally they pull up pretty sharply from something like that. Whether it's his guts, determination to keep going or just stupidity, it's a real credit to the horse as it won't have been a nice experience for him.

"The time off will help him rebuild his confidence, seeing him this morning he seems normal again which gives you confidence he could come back from it."

The blow is made all the more crushing by how high hopes were beforehand, and Charlton said: "It's frustrating, we could have been looking at the favourite for the Melbourne Cup, but it's one of those things and he's the most important thing.

"Depending how he comes out of it there's a plane the day after the Melbourne Cup for him, he was originally booked in for the week after, but if he comes out of it okay there's a chance he could fly back earlier. We'll just lead him out now, he won't be ridden again.

"It's disappointing for everyone at home as we've put so much time into this and it's a race that creates its own history. It's disappointing when you've come halfway around the world, but as long as he comes back, that's the most important thing."

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