European pair in contention for Melbourne Cup

Father and son Aidan and Joseph O’Brien could have Melbourne Cup contenders this year with both Order Of St George and Rekindling potential contenders for the $6.2 million race in November.

Lloyd Williams is the sole owner of Rekindling (trained by Joseph O’Brien) while also holding a share of ownership in Order Of St George (trained by Aiden O’Brien).

Williams’ son, Nick, told After the Last that both horses were under consideration for the Melbourne Cup but would wait until weights are released.

“I’d say Order Of St George probably has a better chance of coming than Rekindling,” he said.

“Rekindling will probably run at Doncaster in the Leger. He’s only a three-year-old and had quite a long year. I’ve had a number of chats with Joseph and he’s very keen to bring him out here.

“I’m a little concerned about the travel and the fact he’s had such a long year, so we’ve agreed to wait until the Leger. We’ll work it out from there.”

Nominations for the 2017 Melbourne Cup close later today while the Melbourne Cup weights will be released on September 12.