Sir Delius, the big hope of trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, underwent a series of scans which are part of the strict protocols introduced for the race
11:11, 17 Oct 2025
Melbourne Cup favourite Sir Delius has been ruled out of the race by vets in a huge blow to the £5 million event. It has become a requirement to run in the so-called ‘race that stops a nation’ that all runners have to undergo enhanced veterinary checks before being allowed to run.
The protocols were brought in after the Aidan O’Brien trained Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck suffered a fatal injury in the 2019 Melbourne Cup. Last year’s O’Brien-trained St Leger winner Jan Brueghel was also ruled out of the race by the same process to the handler’s immense frustration.
Sir Delius, who raced in Europe last year when he contested the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, has won his last two races at Group 1 level.
Racing Victoria announced in a statement: “In accordance with the conditions of the Lexus Melbourne Cup, Sir Delius was presented this week at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre in Werribee for a compulsory Computed Tomography (CT) scan of its distal limbs.
“CT scan results are reviewed by an independent panel of diagnostic imaging specialists which comprises representatives from Australia, UK and USA. Three members are nominated to review the scans for each horse independent of one another.
“The nominated panel members reported to RV Veterinary Services that the CT scan results for Sir Delius indicated that the horse is currently at heightened risk of injury.”
The decision means Sir Delius will also be unable to contest the Cox Plate, Australia’s biggest weight-for-age race which is also part of the Spring Carnival for which the vet checks apply. Sir Delius also underwent a Positron Emission Tomography scan to try to determine the area of concern.
Racing Victoria said: “Having reviewed the PET scan results alongside the CT scan results, the panel members have advised RV Veterinary Services that they remain of the view that Sir Delius is currently at heightened risk of injury.
“Following advice from RV Veterinary Services in relation to the specialist opinions from the imaging panel, RV Stewards have stood down Sir Delius from competing in the remainder of the 2025 Spring Racing Carnival.
“The Stewards have appraised the connections of the key information that they relied upon in making their decision.”
British-trained challenger Onesmoothoperator, trained by Brian Ellison, is now guaranteed a start in the big race.