'It's very positive' - O'Brien eyes more Melbourne glory as restrictions eased

A big step in the right direction is how Joseph O'Brien has described the decision by Racing Victoria not to make a scintigraphy scan mandatory for international runners in the Melbourne Cup and, if he has the right horses, he will travel to the Spring Racing Carnival this year.

O'Brien has been the most successful international trainer in Melbourne over the last decade, adding last year's Cox Plate with State Of Rest to a CV that already included Melbourne Cup wins in 2017 with Rekindling and again in 2020 with Twilight Payment.

The 28-year-old was one of only two British and Irish trainers represented in the 2021 Melbourne Cup won by Verry Elleegant with the previous year's winner Twilight Payment finishing 11th. Andrew Balding was the other, sending out Spanish Mission to finish third.

The reason for such a small travelling contingent was mainly down to a mandatory scintigraphy scan criticised by Aidan O'Brien as "nuclear".

Joseph O'Brien: 'the changes they have made are certainly a big step in the right direction'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

His son Joseph has welcomed the statement from Racing Victoria on Wednesday which said it would "endorse the use of scintigraphy scans in a targeted manner from 2022 onwards for international horses entering Victoria via the Werribee International Horse Centre as opposed to a blanket order".

Joseph O'Brien told the Racing Post: "It's very positive from our point of view and the changes they have made are certainly a big step in the right direction. The scintigraphy scan was a difficult one to get through.

"It's nice to see that they have reconsidered the changes they had made and that the advice they got from various people was listened to. I think it's a positive move."

When asked whether he planned another Australian adventure in 2022, O'Brien replied: "It's still a bit early to know exactly what we might run but, hopefully, we'll have horses worth running there and, if we do, we will send them."

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