Three highly-credentialled European horses have entered pre-travel quarantine in the UK and Ireland ahead of an assault on the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Cox Plate aspirants State Of Rest and Gold Trip along with Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup hope Spanish Mission entered quarantine overnight ahead of travel in two weeks’ time.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained State Of Rest will serve his quarantine period in Ireland while Andrew Balding’s Cups contender Spanish Mission will be joined by Gold Trip, who is set to join the stables of Victoria’s leading trainers, Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, in Newmarket.

The trio will spend the next fortnight training in their respective quarantine facilities and undergo a further pre-export veterinary examination ahead of flying to Melbourne, with their arrival due on September 25.

After completing their mandatory two-week post-arrival quarantine at Werribee, the trio will undergo a standing CT scan before being granted approval to race from Caulfield Cup Day onwards.

A two-time winner of the Melbourne Cup, O’Brien is trying to emulate his father Aidan by adding the Cox Plate to his haul of winners with State Of Rest.

O’Brien senior won the Cox Plate in 2014 with Adelaide, and like that galloper State Of Rest is a northern hemisphere-bred three-year-old.

French-bred Gold Trip is on a one-way trip to Australia having been purchase by Australian Bloodstock and has been in the care of Eustace’s brother Harry at Newmarket ahead of entering quarantine.

The Andrew Balding-trained Spanish Mission comes to Melbourne finishing a last start second to Stradivarius in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup having earlier finished in the placings in the Ascot Gold Cup.

A second shipment of international horses targeting the 2021 Melbourne Cup is currently scheduled to arrive in Melbourne on October 9.

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au