Victorian racing officials approached Sir Delius’s connections to nominate for the Melbourne Cup, so he could be topweight at 59kg to allow a proper scale to Australia’s biggest handicap.
It was an effort to avoid trainers with horses at the top weights, questioning if their horse’s chances were ended by the weights as Chris Waller did with three-time Group 1 winner Aeliana on Sunday.
Sir Delius had his spring ruined last year when he failed the required scans for the race that stops a Nation and was forced to spell, also missing a golden opportunity to win a Cox Plate.
Those with knowledge of the situation but not authorised to speak publicly told Betsy that the approach was made in the days leading up to the entries closing, considered and refused.
VRC Chief Racing Officer Leigh Jordon told Betsy Sir Delius in the Cup nominations with under an hour to go until closing time but was then removed.
Sir Delius was among the Caulfield Cup entries and was given the mandatory 59kg in that race, but without him in the Melbourne Cup weights were raised by another 1.5kg, last year’s winner Half Yours give the 59kg topweight.
“Sir Delius, a three-time Group 1 winner, stands out as the best performed horse and natural topweight for this year’s Caulfield Cup, however his absence from the Melbourne Cup has necessitated two different sets of weights,” Racing Victoria head of handicapping David Hegan said when Cup weights were released.
The limit weight for the Melbourne Cup has gone up a kilogram this year, but horses with big weights tend not to run in the handicap.
It is understood connections were told if Sir Delius was entered, he would need to take the scans again, a risk they were never going to take as he is Cox Plate favourite.
They are still privately fuming about how the scans affected Sir Delius’s racing campaign for the past 12 months.
Sir Delius not only missed the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup because he failed his scans, but his autumn campaign was also significantly compromised, as Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott had to work with Racing NSW veterinary staff to get him cleared to race again.
“It was the first time we had him absolutely right in the Queen Elizabeth [Stakes] and he showed what he can do,” Bott said in the autumn.
Sir Delius, of course, handed Autumn Glow her only defeat in the Queen Elizabeth with a relentless gallop over 2000m with a change of speed that took the star mare out of her comfort zone.
The sticking point was that Sir Delius would have to be scanned again, which would have risked a Cox Plate start and caused another disjointed year.
There are precedents where horses have failed scans but returned to win the Melbourne Cup.
Gold Trip, the 2022 Melbourne Cup winner, failed the scans in 2021 forcing him to miss the Cox Plate.
Waller made it clear he would get his chance to win the Melbourne Cup again this year, but probably not with Aeliana.
“I’ve got multiple horses so it’s not going to affect me, but I think the owners of Aeliana deserve a chance to be running in a Melbourne Cup, like the horses before her, with a fair weight,” Waller said on RSN.
“I don’t know where we’re heading, it’s as simple as that.
“I’m not whinging, but she can’t win a Melbourne Cup with 58kg, can she?
“I don’t want to cause a debate or get political at all; all I’m saying is I’m not very happy that Aeliana has got 58kg.”
Waller’s Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant had a kilogram less with 57kg, when she took home the 2021 Cup as a nine-time Group 1 winner, including a Caulfield Cup, a Tancred Stakes and a Turnbull Stakes.
Waller rightfully compared Aeliana’s weight to Makybe Diva in her third Cup win.
If the limit hadn’t gone up a kilo, Aeliana would still being to lump the same weight as Verry Elleegant and only a 1-1/2 kg less the immortal Makybe Diva as a three-time Group 1 winner.
“I’ll be honest, I couldn’t believe she got 58kg in the Melbourne Cup. I’m not whinging, but holy heck, it makes it hard for a horse like Aeliana to win a Melbourne Cup with 58kg, she’s a mare. That’s equivalent of 60kg for a colt or a gelding. Yeah, she’s a good horse, but she’s won a Derby, a Ranvet and a Tancred, and she’s got 58kg or a 60kg equivalent for a male.
“Makybe Diva, she was a pretty good horse, she won her third Melbourne Cup with 58.5kg (she was allocated 58kg). Poor old Aeliana … I just can’t get my head around it, to tell you the truth.”
