A one-kilogram penalty for the in-form stayer So You Are, following his victory in the Bendigo Cup, has been sufficient to secure the Bjorn Baker-trained galloper a place in the Melbourne Cup field.
So You Are now occupies the 24th spot in the Order of Entry for the prestigious Cup, a position gained after Saint George was withdrawn on Thursday morning. Had Saint George not been scratched, So You Are would have been listed at number 25.
It was noted that Sea King (2024) and Sayedaty Sadaty (2025) were each re-handicapped by 0.5kg for their respective Bendigo Cup wins. David Hegan, Racing Victoria’s head of handicapping, mentioned that the last time a 1kg re-handicap was issued was in 2011 to Tanby.
Thursday’s announcement of a re-handicap represents the third such adjustment for So You Are since the handicaps were first released last month. In total, So You Are has been assigned an additional 2kg, meaning he will now carry 54kg in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on Tuesday.
“Yesterday’s win, based on weights and the quality of opposition, was the best of So You Are’s recent victories, carrying 58.5kg and proving too strong for all rivals,” Hegan stated.
While connections of So You Are received the positive news of their stayer’s inclusion in the Cup, the circumstances were less favourable for the connections of Saint George, trained by Ciaron Maher.
The Caulfield Cup runner-up has been deemed unfit to race following CT and PET scans performed during the week. After a review by an independent panel of diagnostic imaging specialists, the CT scans indicated that Saint George was at a heightened risk of injury. The Maher stable was then offered the opportunity to conduct a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan, which took place on Wednesday.
Upon reviewing the results, the panel remained firm in its assessment that Saint George was at a heightened risk of injury. Consequently, Saint George has been ruled out not only of the Melbourne Cup field but also from participating in the remainder of the Spring Racing Carnival.
Get involved in the action with the best racing odds available at leading Australian bookmakers.
