OTI Racing’s 2024 Melbourne Cup fancy Mark Twain ruled out for spring carnival

Blow for OTI Racing as tendon injury rules out Kiwi-based gelding Mark Twain from the upcoming spring carnival.

Mark Twain taking out the Listed Roy Higgins

Melbourne Cup fancy Mark Twain, the Kiwi-based stayer who impressively won the Listed Roy Higgins at Flemington in March, will miss the upcoming spring carnival with a tendon injury.

OTI Racing confirmed the injury on Monday morning, with connections now looking towards a racing return sometime in 2025.

The five-year-old, a winner of four races from 12 starts and more than $465,000 in prizemoney, is a son of 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking.

His win in the Roy Higgins was his first start across the ditch after placing in the Group 2 Auckland Cup at Ellerslie.

Mark Twain has just won a golden ticket into the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup, after storming home in the Lexus Roy Higgins.

🎥 @7HorseRacing#AustralianCuppic.twitter.com/Ky7hdUdFrh

— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) March 30, 2024

• Irish star new Melbourne Cup favourite after Curragh cakewalk

In winning the Roy Higgins, Mark Twain was too good for Strawberry Rock and the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Mostly Cloudy, who went on to place sixth in Circle Of Fire’s Group 1 Sydney Cup before runner-up finishes in both the Listed Andrew Ramsden at Flemington and Group 2 Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm.

In the TAB’s pre-nominations market for this year’s Melbourne Cup, Circle Of Fire is the $11 equal favourite with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Grosvenor Square, who bolted in by 20 lengths in the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh on Sunday morning (AEST).

Originally published as OTI Racing’s 2024 Melbourne Cup fancy Mark Twain ruled out for spring carnival