Defiantly Withdrawn from Melbourne Cup After Vet Inspection Failure

Defiantly, trained by Joseph O'Brien, has been withdrawn from the Melbourne Cup after failing a veterinary inspection on Saturday. The horse, a prominent international contender, had previously won the Group Two Prix Kergorlay in France.

Defiantly was in quarantine at Werribee upon arriving in Australia and had initially failed an inspection on Thursday. Following a re-examination on Saturday morning, Racing Victoria confirmed that veterinarians deemed the horse unsuitable for the race, leading to its withdrawal.

This marks the second international horse to be ruled out of the Melbourne Cup, following Japanese entry Stinger Glass, which was also withdrawn due to injury risks identified in scans. Other international horses, Enfjaar and Wine Dark Sea, passed their inspections and are set to compete.