Williams ponders Japan Cup start
A DECISION on the future of star Irish colt Latrobe will be made this week.
Owner Lloyd Williams is considering either spelling the three-year-old at Macedon Lodge or having a tilt at the Longines international meeting in Hong Kong next month.
Latrobe finished second to Trap For Fools in the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
The Irish Derby winner was paid up as a late entry on Wednesday for the $8 million Japan Cup on November 25.
Joseph O’Brien said on the weekend he was unsure if he would continue training Latrobe, pending discussions on the horse’s future.
“I am not sure yet,” he said. “I guess Lloyd and Nick will think it about it.”
O’Brien was delighted with Latrobe’s Australian debut.
“I can’t ask for any more than that really. He ran a fantastic race,” O’Brien said.
“Mark (Zahra) gave him a great ride. We are very proud of the horse.
“The winner (Trap For Fools) got a couple of slow fractions down the back and that was probably the winning and losing of the race for us.
“I am delighted for Lloyd and Nick. Obviously frustrated that we didn’t win, but he’s come pretty close.”
O’Brien believes Latrobe could develop into one of Europe’s premier stayers next year if the horse returns to Irland.
“He has all the big 10 and 12furlong (2000-2400m) races on his radar,” he said.
“Probably 12 furlongs is his best trip. He’s going to be a more mature horse next year.
“He was one of the biggest horses in the paddock in the race and he is only three.”
O’Brien said planning had started for next spring.
“It’s hard to find a horse good enough to take down,” he said.
“It’s very competitive here. You have to bring your A-game and you need plenty of luck and you need to get the rub of the green.
“There’s no point coming here with your B-team.”
Meanwhile, the autopsy on The Cliffsofmoher is expected to take several weeks as veterinary and racing experts pore over the ill-fated Melbourne Cup starter’s medical and exercise records.
The Irish stallion, who finished third in the Caulfield Cup, had to be put down after fracturing a shoulder about 1200m into the 3200m race.
The injury rate among imported horses housed at the Werribee International Horse Centre will form part of Racing Victoria’s review of the spring racing carnival.
Professor Chris Whitton, who spearheads equine orthopaedic research at the University of Melbourne, said postmortem findings would form part of a three-year study into the health risks for international horses. The study is due to be completed next year.
“We’re spending a lot of time trying to understand it, because it’s not simple, with a lot of factors involved,” Whitton said.
“We need to get much better at understanding (catastrophic injuries) because we can’t put up with these injuries, it’s a real problem.”
The Cliffsofmoher’s death is the fifth to occur in the Cup since 2014.