SHIFTING SANDS CONTINUES TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE MAKEUP OF THE FINAL MELBOURNE CUP FIELD

By Graham Potter | Thursday, October 29, 2026

The shifting sands that will help define the final makeup of the 2026 Melbourne Cup field rearranged matters on Thursday morning … providing a abrupt ending to one Melbourne Cup dream … giving another one a boost … and leaving those hovering on the brink of a start wondering which way they will fall.
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The Ciaron Maher trained Saint George, one of the main fancies for the Melbourne Cup, has been ruled out of the big race after failing mandatory pre-race scans.

Melbourne Cup safety protocols, including mandatory scans, were introduced in 2021.

This Saint George outcome was confirmed in a statement released by Racing Victoria Stewards which stated, ‘The nominated panel members reported to RV Veterinary Services that the CT scan results for Saint George indicated that the horse is currently at heightened risk of injury,"

Saint George finished a close-up second in the Caulfield Cup and followed that up with a fine fifth place finish in the Cox Plate, looking like he was on a possible Melbourne Cup winning path.

That particular dream is now over with Saint George being spelled with immediate effect.

The disappointment of the Maher stable will be tempered by the fact that it still has seven runners in the race. Blake Shinn was due to ride Saint George.
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The Bjorn Baker trained So You Are was handed a 1kg penalty for the Bendigo Cup with the handicapper’s decision pushing So You Are into the top twenty-four in the Melbourne Cup Order Of entry.

It’s been quite a journey to get here for there for the five-year-old gelding, who has now won four starts in a row.

The 1kg penalty is the third time So You Are has been re-handicapped since the release of weights. He previously incurred a 0.5kg on two occasions after his two Group 3 wins in the Colin Stephen Quality on September 26 and the ATC St Leger Stakes on October 17.

This takes the total penalty So You Are has received since weights were originally released to 2kg.

Whatever it takes!
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The Euphrates (Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott) and Future History (Greg Hickman) are the runners currently marking time in place 25 and 26 on the Order Of Entry.

Their connections, as well as jockey Jamie Kah, who rode last year’s Cup winner Half Yours will have to await further developments. Kah has been booked to ride Future History and it remains uncertain whether she will get the chance to defend her title.