Withhold set to miss Melbourne Cup return

Horse Racing
Withhold set to miss Melbourne Cup return

Roger Charlton has revealed that Withhold is unlikely to return to feature in the Melbourne Cup after last year’s injury disappointment.

The six-year-old was expected to be a serious contender for the Flemington showpiece after following up his Cesarewitch Handicap success in 2017 with victory in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle last summer.

However, an eighth-placed finish in the Geelong Cup when in Australia hampered Withhold’s chances of booking a Melbourne Cup spot, while a broken blood vessel in a prep run ended the adventure Down Under.

As a result, Charlton appears keen to stay closer to home when deciding on a schedule in 2019, with his charge now back in training.

‘I don’t know (about going for the Melbourne Cup),’ he said.

‘I wasn’t impressed by the quarantine facilities, and I think the track is difficult to train on.

‘There was a certain amount of criticism about the bedding and the forage.

‘ ‘It’s a long way to go to break a blood vessel,’ added Charlton.

‘He may well bleed – but it is better to bleed closer to home.

‘You have to come through with a healthy horse after a long journey, and he didn’t make the cut.

‘There are no complaints really.

What happens in the future, we will see – but there are plenty of nice races here.’

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Melbourne Cup Withhold Roger Charlton

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