Chris Waller stayer under Melbourne Cup injury cloud

Melbourne Cup veterinary examinations commenced on Thursday, with particular attention on the Chris Waller-trained long shot, Sheraz, priced at $151 with online betting sites. On Friday, a re-examination is scheduled for the twenty-two out of twenty-nine horses that initially passed the physical inspections. Notably, Melbourne Cup favourite Vauban, as well as fellow residents at Werribee, such as Absurde, Breakup, Lastotchka, Valiant King, Okita Soushi, and More Felons, are set for inspections.

Veterinarians from Racing Victoria noted that Sheraz displayed some heat in his right front leg. This comes after Sheraz was ruled out of last year’s Melbourne Cup when he held the 19th spot in the entry order, following a fifth-place finish in the Herbet Power Stakes. Unfortunately, he suffered a stress fracture to the pelvis during that time.

Sheraz, a Listed winner in France, notably finished as the runner-up in the Sydney Cup, trailing Knight’s Order last year. All the horses remaining in contention for the Melbourne Cup 2023 have completed CT scans, and a second pre-race veterinary inspection is scheduled for Monday. Additionally, runners in Saturday’s Archer Stakes will undergo re-examinations to confirm their eligibility to participate in the Cup later that day.

Sheraz currently sits 15th in the Melbourne Cup order of entry.