Trainer Aidan O’Brien is in a foul mood after ruling out Melbourne Cup contender Jan Bruegel from Victoria’s famous Flemington race.
The Victorian stewards relied on “expert veterinary advice” to stop the unbeaten Irish trainee in a decision that shocked both his relations and O’Brien.
“The reports of an expert panel of internationally renowned equine surgeons and diagnostic imaging specialists who reviewed Jan Brueghel’s CT results indicate that the horse is currently at high risk of injury,” RV said.
“Following advice from RV Veterinary Services on the views of an independent imaging panel, the RV Stewards have ordered the withdrawal of Jan Bruegel from the Melbourne Cup as unfit to compete.”
However, in an interview with At The Races, O’Brien said many of the scans were “opinion” and that he believed his horse “didn’t move very well” before making the decision.
“Everything is perfect. “He went through all the issues, he did all the scans,” O’Brien told At The Races.
“Then he had to do another scan there. Our vets looked at them and said they were fine, but the Australian vets were not happy with them.
“Rules are rules. Most scans are an opinion or a view. He passed the most rigorous exam. Had another scan in the last few days, never went well, never moved well.
“These are the rules. This is their decision.”
O’Brien said his vet “didn’t agree” with RV’s advice and disagreed with her accusations of “shading” his horse.
“They used to say it was a shadow in front and a shadow behind, but these days all three-year-olds have shadow and light and this and that,” he told the Racing Post.
But O’Brien knows all about losing a Melbourne Cup rider and it was his horse Anthony Van Dyck who started Racing Victoria’s strict vet protocols in 2021.
O’Brien’s Cliffsofmoher also suffered a shoulder injury during the Melbourne Cup 2018.
