Trainer John O’Shea bewildered as Melbourne Cup hope Athabascan ruled out with heart issue

Connections were shocked when told Athabascan would be scratched from the Melbourne Cup on vets advice.

Melbourne Cup hopeful Athabascan has been withdrawn on veterinary advice due to a cardiac arrhythmia.

The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained stayer, runner-up in the Sydney Cup earlier in the year, was inspected on Monday as part of compulsory final pre-race vet checks.

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“ECG reports and the results of blood tests were then forwarded to three independent experts specialising in equine internal medicine, including cardiology,” RV stewards said in a statement on Monday.

“They each independently advised that, due to the nature of the cardiac arrhythmia, Athabascan should undergo further extensive testing before being permitted to race again on the grounds of safety.”

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OTI Racing chief executive Terry Henderson, managing owner of Athabascan, has requested a meeting with stewards this week to discuss the matter.

“We have presented what we believe to be very strong evidence to say there is absolutely nothing wrong with this horse, it’s a heart arrhythmia issue which they raised,” Henderson told the Herald Sun.

“We’ll be having a meeting with the stewards to review why the horse was withdrawn when in John’s opinion the horse was perfectly fine to race.”

Athabascan has been ruled out of the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

O’Shea explained the situation in an update to the ownership syndicate.

“At his veterinary examination today he had a slightly irregular heartbeat at standing, at rest, which we’ve provided significant data on his ECGs and gallops that that is the horse,” O’Shea said.

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“He had an ECG on his gallop Saturday, the horse was fine, provided veterinary evidence to stewards that he has a low troponin level, no issue with his heart, but they have decided irrespective of all the veterinary advice that we provided to withdraw him.

“Unfortunately I am the bearer of bad news, I can’t explain it, the horse is 100 per cent healthy, all our data that we use is spectactularly good but for whatever reason they have decided to withdraw the horse and they haven’t given me a reason why, they just said experts have suggested, I don’t know what experts.

“Unfortunately Athabascan will be scratched from tomorrow’s Melbourne Cup, I’m very deeply sorry for everyone involved, but it’s out of my hands and they’ve only just notified me now.”

Athabascan was a $61 outsider with Ladbrokes before the withdrawal.

Stewards acting on veterinary advice ordered the scratching late on Monday.

“Acting on these opinions and having considered additional material provided by the stable, RV veterinarians advised the Stewards that in their view the horse should be withdrawn from the Melbourne Cup due to an increased risk of a cardiac episode,” stewards said in a statement.

The remaining 23 horses in the Melbourne Cup were passed suitable to race on Tuesday.

Originally published as Trainer John O’Shea bewildered as Melbourne Cup hope Athabascan ruled out with heart issue