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.