No Melbourne Cup for the King’s contender

Desert Hero, a potential Melbourne Cup contender for the King and Queen, won’t compete this year.

Despite passing veterinary tests, the decision to withdraw him was made following his third-place finish at Doncaster.

“Desert Hero won’t run in the Melbourne Cup. We thought he had a tough race at Doncaster, and we want to give him more time.” Trainer William Haggas explained

“He passed the tests we put him through so we had to make a decision.

“He’ll have a nice break now.

“We wouldn’t rule out running him in the race in the future – and we hope his is bright.”

Desert Hero’s absence this year leaves fans wondering if he might return to the Melbourne Cup in upcoming editions.