Star middle-distance performer Globe will not take his place in Saturday’s $6 million Cox Plate (2040m) after being scratched on veterinary grounds, reducing the field to just eight runners.

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained gelding had been under a fitness cloud since Monday, when a Sleip Test — an AI motion analysis used to detect subtle lameness — revealed minor gait irregularities related to inflammation in the capsule of his off-fore fetlock.

Racing Victoria veterinarians conducted a follow-up examination on Thursday morning and confirmed the issue had not resolved, finding Globe lame in the same leg and officially ruling him out of the Cox Plate. The decision ends his spring campaign, which included a strong win in the Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield earlier this month.

Price Kent Racing shared the news via social media and expressed full support for the veterinary decision. “The horse was not 100% and the welfare of any horse comes before any race,” the stable said on X, formerly Twitter. “He will be spelled and prepare for the autumn.”

Connections of Globe had paid a $200,000 late entry fee to contest the Cox Plate, hoping to add another feature victory to his record. Instead, the gelding will be spelled ahead of a return in 2026, with his next campaign expected to target Group 1 staying races in Melbourne.

Updated Cox Plate betting markets are available now at Australia’s leading bookmakers.