Tight fit for quarantine spots spells problems for Cup contender

The squeeze for precious spots at the Werribee quarantine centre is beginning to take a toll with the weekend’s Irish St Leger runner-up Latrobe a likely spring carnival casualty.

Latrobe, who finished second to Aidan O’Brien’s Flag Of Honour in the Irish classic on Sunday, is already assured of a Melbourne Cup run — being seventh in order for a start due to his Irish Derby win in June — but his part-owner Lloyd Williams said yesterday that he will only make the journey to Melbourne if his travelling partner Master Of Reality goes with him.

Master Of Reality is 152nd in order for a Melbourne Cup run and is being aimed at gaining an 11th-hour berth through the Lexus Stakes three days before the Cup, but such is the rush for spots in quarantine at Werribee, he may be excluded from the facility due to his relatively low international rating of 102.

Such are the numbers of Northern Hemisphere horses bound for Melbourne’s riches this spring, Racing Victoria will be forced to give preference to the highest-rated gallopers and so Master Of Reality is likely to get bumped to the government quarantine facility north of Melbourne at Mickleham.

Unlike Werribee, which offers state-of-the-art training facilities at the Werribee racecourse, horses cannot be worked from the Mickleham centre during their mandatory twoweek stay and so will be unable to race this spring.

Racing Victoria’s general manger of racing operations Paul Bloodworth confirmed the squeeze was on for that final shipment of Cup contenders.

“We’ve just got eight spots available in the second shipment,” Bloodworth explained to Racing.com.

‘‘Three stables have signalled their intention to come and that’s the stables of Torcedor, Marmelo and Magic Circle.

“Torcedor is rated 119, Magic Circle is 116 and Marmelo 114 so we’ve basically got five sports left available.

“I’m not sure of what Willie Mullins wants to do, but I’d think he’d send one or both of Thomas Hobson and Max Dynamite and they are both rated above Master Of Reality before Friday night when they ran first and second in the Doncaster Cup.

“I am not sure as to what Aidan’s [O’Brien] doing either. He’s got Kew Gardens and now Flag Of Honour and another horse who won on the weekend in Rostropovich (19th in order).

“All those horses are rated above Master Of Reality.

“We just can’t have a situation where Master Of Reality keeps a higher-rated Melbourne Cup horse out.’’

Latrobe is trained by O’Brien’s son Joseph, who broke new ground last spring when the youngest trainer — at 24 — to win Australia’s greatest race with Rekindling. Williams, a recordbreaking six-time winner of the Melbourne Cup, said it would be “very sad’’ if Latrobe misses a trip to Melbourne. The Melbourne Cup picture will get a lot clearer on September 27 when those Northern Hemisphere Cup horses must enter quarantine to begin their two weeks at home before the flight to Melbourne. First declarations for the race are taken on October 9.