Stinger Glass ruled out of Melbourne Cup after CT and PET scans flag injury risk
Racing Victoria (RV) stewards have withdrawn the Yasuo Tomomichi-trained Stinger Glass from Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup and stood him down for the remainder of the Spring Racing Carnival, after an independent imaging panel found he is at heightened risk of injury.
Stinger Glass was cleared to travel on the strength of an MRI scan in Japan on August 26, which RV permits only where a CT scan is not reasonably available, and Japan has no standing equine CT scanner. He arrived at the Werribee International Horse Centre on October 12.
His compulsory CT scan of the distal limbs at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre on October 27 prompted the three assigned panel members to report heightened injury risk.
The Tomomichi stable took up the option of a follow-up PET scan on Thursday, but RV said that after reviewing both sets of results overnight, the panel members “remain of the view that Stinger Glass is currently at heightened risk of injury”.
He joins Saint George as the second third acceptor ruled out on the panel’s advice. The 34 horses remaining in the entry list have all presented satisfactory scans.
Vauban, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and the Danny O’Brien-trained Litzdeel, whose clearance was deferred on Thursday, passed repeat examinations on Friday morning and are now suitable to accept. Final acceptances close at 4.30pm on Saturday.
