Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer likely to miss Flemington
IRISH star Kew Gardens remains unlikely to contest the $8 million Melbourne Cup despite leading home six fellow Cup entrants in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m) at The Curragh.
Reports out of Ireland suggest Aidan O’Brien won’t travel the high-class stayer to Australia after he was allocated 58kg topweight for the Melbourne Cup.
Winner of last season’s English St Leger, Kew Gardens is on the third line of TAB Cup betting at $26.
He is likely to remain in Europe after a grinding St Leger second to Dermot Weld’s Search For A Song, who is not a Cup entry.
The next five behind Kew Gardens — Southern France, defending champion Cross Counter, Master Of Reality, Latrobe and Twilight Payment — are all bound for Melbourne. They are expected to arrive in the second shipment of Europeans in mid-October.
Cross Counter’s trainer Charlie Appleby has indicated he will accept handicapper Greg Carpenter’s challenge to return despite being asked to carry 57.5kg — six more than he had when winning last year.
With Kew Gardens almost certain to miss the November 5 Cup, Cross Counter will likely sit at the top of the weights as he bids to join Archer, Rain Lover, Think Big and Makybe Diva as a multiple winner of the race.
Lloyd Williams will chase a seventh Cup from an imposing arsenal which includes Master Of Reality, Latrobe, Twilight Payment, Yucatan, Johannes Vermeer and Homesman.
The first shipment of Europeans will arrive in Melbourne on September 28.
The 18-strong contingent has entered quarantine at Side Hill Stud in Newmarket, England.
They will join Japan’s Suzuka Devious, Meiner Fanrong and Meiner Wunsch, who are due to arrive at Werribee next Tuesday.
Of the 24 arrivals, 16 will be eligible to compete at Caulfield on October 12. The other eight will be free to race from October 15.
The second batch of Europeans is expected on October 12. They would be eligible to race two weeks later.