'He's been brilliant' - excitement growing for in-form Crisfords' Melbourne hope

Without A Fight will have one final prep run in Britain later this month before a possible tilt at the Lexus Melbourne Cup, said joint-trainer Ed Crisford, after he was given initial approval by Racing Victoria to travel to Australia.

The five-year-old has passed initial scans and will enter pre-export quarantine on September 26 before heading to the Werribee International Horse Centre, should he get a satisfactory racing weight for the Flemington showpiece.

Without A Fight will need to pass a third examination from a Racing Victoria-appointed vet before travelling to Australia, where he will then complete a two-week post-arrival quarantine.

Crisford, who trains in partnership with his father Simon, said: "He is all set to go and in good form. We were always going to give him a summer break and he's just coming back now. We're very pleased with him. He's still got things to do before he gets there but he's passed every check so far.

Without A Fight: impressive winner at York last timeCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"He'll either run at Newbury or Newmarket later this month and it'll be straight to the Cup if he's down in Australia. He's been brilliant this season and this has been a race long in our minds. We're excited to take him there and see how he gets on."

Without A Fight won the Group 3 Silver Cup at York on his last start in early July and is as short as 25-1 with Coral for the Melbourne Cup, which takes place on November 1.

The great handicap could also feature fellow British challenger Rodrigo Diaz, who heads into pre-export quarantine on Monday.

However, Brian Ellison announced recently Tashkhan will not make the trip despite passing the pre-quarantine scans, while Cleveland and Ebor winner Trawlerman were among those ruled out by Racing Victoria.

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