The former favourite for the Melbourne Cup, Defiantly, has been withdrawn from the prestigious race.

A panel of Racing Victoria veterinarians conducted an inspection of Defiantly, Wine Dark Sea, and Enfjaar on Saturday morning. These three horses had previously been deemed unfit to be accepted for the Melbourne Cup following an examination conducted on Thursday.

Vets had observed alterations in the gait of the three horses, necessitating a further examination on Saturday morning to determine their eligibility for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup before final declarations at 4:30 pm on Saturday.

While Wine Dark Sea and Enfjaar received the green light, Defiantly did not pass the assessment and remains unsuitable to compete. RV stewards have mandated the stayer’s withdrawal from the Melbourne Cup based on veterinary advice.

Small Fry, who was positioned 33rd in the Melbourne Cup Order of Entry, was also found unsuitable to accept for the Melbourne Cup and has been ruled out for the remainder of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

Following Defiantly’s withdrawal, his stablemate Kizlyar, trained by Joseph O’Brien, moves into the Cup field. The Chris Waller-trained Pinhole and stablemate Valiant King are now numbers 25 and 26 in the Order of Entry.

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