Aidan O’Brien slams Australian stewards’ ‘ridiculous’ decision to scratch Melbourne Cup favorite Jan Brueghel

AIDAN O’BRIEN has criticized Australian officials who decided to drop Jan Brueghel from the Melbourne Cup.

The horse was pulled out by vets who deemed it to be at “increased risk” of injury after scanning its legs during a rigorous testing procedure.

2

2

Melbourne authorities have a strict set of veterinary tests that all international horses must pass before they are allowed to compete in the Melbourne Cup.

The threshold for allowing a horse to run has been raised significantly following a series of fatal injuries in the “race that stops a nation”, including former O’Brien Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck, who broke down during the race and was forced to sleep.

O’Brien had been reluctant to send horses to Australia since the new checks were introduced and he was furious when they dropped Jan Brueghel, who would have become a hot favourite, from the line-up.

Transporting the St Leger hero to the race cost around £120,000 and that money will now go down the drain.

Speaking in Del Mar, O’Brien said: “In this part of the world (USA), riders and women decide whether a horse runs.

“In other parts of the world, the lynx is filmed on a phone and the phone app decides whether it is sound or not.

“It was terrible when he was expelled. We were unlucky, but they were lucky.

“He was a Group 1 handicap horse, eight stone seven, and he was ridden by Ryan Moore and he was getting better every week.

“They looked at the pictures and made a decision, but our veterinarians did not agree with it.

“At this time, every three-year-old child starts seeing shadows or cracks in their scans, and there comes a point where it becomes funny. Horses, men and women, fall out of sight.”

FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP OFFERS AND RACING OFFERS

Commercial Content Notice: Accepting one of the offers presented in this article may result in payment to The Sun. You should know that brands pay a commission for placement in the highest positions on the page. 18+. Terms and conditions apply. gambleaware.org.

---

Remember to play responsibly

A responsible player is someone who:

• Sets time and monetary limits before playing.
• They only gamble with money that they can afford to lose.
• Never chases your losses
• Doesn’t play when upset, angry or depressed.
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gambling Information – www.gambleaware.org

Our detailed guide to responsible gambling practices can be found here.