Some clarity regarding which international horses might participate in this year’s Melbourne Spring Carnival features was provided late on Saturday, with seven horses entering quarantine in the UK and Ireland.
Joseph O’Brien’s quartet, comprising Kizlyar, Omni Man, Small Fry, and Starford, alongside Roger Varian’s Enfjaar, entered quarantine in Ireland. Meanwhile, the Harry Charlton-trained Wine Dark Sea and Ciaron Maher’s Point Of Law were isolated in England.
All are nominated for both the $6 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 and the $10 million Melbourne Cup 17 days later. They have successfully passed Racing Victoria’s essential veterinary protocols to date.
“The first seven international horses targeting the 2026 Spring Racing Carnival yesterday entered pre-export quarantine in the UK and Ireland where they will remain for two weeks prior to travelling to Melbourne,” RV head of racing Paul Bloodworth stated. “All seven hold nominations for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and have satisfied RV’s pre-travel veterinary protocols, passing a compulsory scan of their distal limbs and completing two physical veterinary examinations so far – they must undergo a final examination in PEQ.”
Being part of the initial shipment, slated to arrive in Melbourne on the final weekend of this month, allows these horses the opportunity to compete in the Caulfield Cup.
Enfjaar, the winner of the recent Group 3 Glorious Stakes, and Wine Dark Sea, a Group 3 Geoffrey Freer winner, are currently the shortest-priced international contenders for this year’s Caulfield Cup. They are followed by O’Brien’s Omni Man and Starford, as well as Point Of Law, who has transferred to Maher’s stable after previously being under the care of John and Thady Gosden.
Small Fry’s participation in the Caulfield Cup is not a certainty, with O’Brien and owners OTI also considering a run in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m). Additionally, Varian has not committed Enfjaar to a Melbourne Cup start, as the horse might instead compete in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
Developments concerning the Melbourne Cup also occurred over the weekend, with Highwayman climbing betting charts after securing victory in the Group 1 English St Leger (2921m) at Doncaster on Saturday night, Australian time.
Further significant entries are expected on Sunday night, as Trustyourinstinct prepares to face star stayers Scandinavia and Jan Brueghel in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m). You can find the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites.
