Chief Stipe Posted Friday at 05:49 AM Posted Friday at 05:49 AM Melbourne Cup favourite fails vet scans in spring carnival shock https://share.google/m0GYIY04sdxYRL4fL Sir Delius out. Quote
Chief Stipe Posted Friday at 05:50 AM Author Posted Friday at 05:50 AM Sport Horse Racing Sir Delius out Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup after failing vet scans Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup favourite Sir Delius has sensationally been ruled out of both spring majors. Gilbert Gardiner @gilbertgardiner less than 2 min read October 17, 2025 - 4:46PM Alex Donnelly and Gilbert Gardiner take a deep dive into the Caulfield Cup. Gil also takes us through his Thousand Guineas selection as well as his best bets for the card at Caulfield. Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup favourite Sir Delius has sensationally been ruled out of both spring majors after specialist veterinary advice. Sir Delius, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, presented this week for compulsory CT scans of its distal limbs. Racing Victoria announced the shock withdrawal on Friday afternoon. This article contains features which are only available in the web version Take me there • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! An independent three-member panel of diagnostic imaging specialists from Australia, UK and USA reviewed the scans. The panel advised RV Veterinary Services the CT scan results for Sir Delius indicated “the horse is currently at heightened risk of injury”. RV said the Waterhouse-Bott stable was afforded an opportunity for Sir Delius to undergo a PET scan to help determine the area of concern. Sir Delius completed the PET scan on Thursday. The results confirmed the initial CT scan “heightened risk of injury”. Sir Delius, a multiple Group 1-winning son of Frankel, has been stood down for the remainder of the 2025 spring racing carnival. - more to come Join the conversation Search Home ABOUT US MEMBERSHIP CONTACT US OUR NETWORK Our Apps A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out.Sometimes our articles will try to help you find the right product at the right price. We may receive payment from third parties for publishing this content or when you make a purchase through the links on our sites. Privacy policyRelevant ads opt-outCookie policyTerms of use Nationwide News Pty Ltd © 2025. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Powered by WordPress.com VIP Quote
Chief Stipe Posted Friday at 06:18 AM Author Posted Friday at 06:18 AM Sir Delius ruled out of Cup, Plate www.racing.com Cox Plate favourite Sir Delius has been ruled out of next week's Group 1 and the Melbourne Cup after failing independent specialist scans. Racing Victoria announced on Friday afternoon that the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained superstar and $2.80 Cox Plate favourite returned scans that showed it was currently at heightened risk of injury. The first scan, a CT scan on the distal limbs, was conducted at University of Melbourne Equine Centre. CT scan results are reviewed by an independent panel of diagnostic imaging specialists which comprises representatives from Australia, UK and USA. That panel then relayed their findings to Racing Victoria. Under the enhanced protocols in 2025, Sir Delius' connections were then given the chance to send the star for a PET scan. This was the first time that connections have been afforded the opportunity to utilise the state-of-the-art PET technology as part of vet protocols for the Melbourne Cup. A PET scan shows activity of bone or soft tissue lesions at the molecular level in 3D imagery. That scan was conducted on Thursday with the results shared with the same independent panel. "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," an RV release read. "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." Racing.com understands that Racing Victoria remained in constant contact with the Waterhouse and Bott stable throughout the decision-making process. All horses wanting to compete in this year's Melbourne Cup must be presented for a standing CT scan of their distal limbs by no later than Thursday, 30 October. WHAT IS A CT SCAN? Computed Tomography (CT) - The standing CT scanner allows efficient 3D imaging of the lower limb and identification of otherwise undetected bone damage. It is essentially cross-sectional radiographs and provides excellent, high-detailed images of bone. The quality and contrast of images created by CT is far superior to standard x-ray. It requires a mild sedative and scanning takes less than 30 minutes. In Australia, there is a standing CT scanner at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre at Werribee and another in Sydney. WHAT IS A PET SCAN? PET is a unique medical imaging procedure that shows activity of bone or soft tissue lesions at the molecular level in 3D imagery. PET requires a small amount of radioactive material to be injected into the horse 30 minutes before its scan which takes approximately 30 minutes and can be conducted whilst the horse is standing. The only PET scanner in Australia is located at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre at Werribee. Originating in the USA, the technology was trialled successfully during the 2024 Spring Racing Carnival before being adopted into practice in 2025. WHO IS ON THE PANEL? The five members of the independent imaging review panel are as follows: Dr. Bruce Bladon, Specialist in Equine Surgery and Hospital Director at Donnington Grove Veterinary Group in England, UK; Dr. Mathieu Spriet, Specialist in Equine Diagnostic Imaging, and Professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in California, USA; Professor Peter Muir, Specialist in Veterinary Surgery and Co-Director of the Comparative Orthopaedic and Genetics Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; Professor Chris Whitton, Specialist in Equine Surgery and long-time Professor of Equine Medicine and Surgery at the University of Melbourne, AUS; and Dr. Alex Young, Specialist in Equine Diagnostic Imaging and Director of Alex Young Specialist Veterinary Imaging in Queensland, AUS. Quote
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