Melbourne Cup favourite Defiantly has been declared a non-runner in the upcoming race.

Racing Victoria veterinarians inspected Defiantly, along with Wine Dark Sea and Enfjaar, on Saturday morning. These three horses had been considered unsuitable to accept for the Melbourne Cup after an initial examination on Thursday.

The vets had observed anomalies in the gait of the three horses, which necessitated a follow-up examination on Saturday morning to confirm their fitness to accept for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, ahead of the 4:30 pm final declaration deadline on Saturday.

After the examinations, Wine Dark Sea and Enfjaar were given the go-ahead, but Defiantly failed to satisfy the veterinary panel and remains unsuitable to race. Stewards from RV have consequently ordered the stayer’s withdrawal from the Melbourne Cup on veterinary grounds.

Small Fry, who was ranked 33rd in the Melbourne Cup Order of Entry, was also found unsuitable to accept for the Melbourne Cup and has been withdrawn from the rest of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

As a result of Defiantly’s withdrawal, his Joseph O’Brien-trained stablemate Kizlyar is elevated into the Cup field. Chris Waller’s Pinhole and stablemate Valiant King now occupy the 25th and 26th positions in the Order of Entry.

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