Cup controversy: Marmelo camp considers legal action to fight vets advice

RUMOUR FILE UPDATE

The trainer of scratched Melbourne Cup fancy Marmelo suspects the horse’s owners will head to court in a bid to defy vet advice and allow their horse to run.

Melbourne Cup betting was thrown into disarray last night with the scratching of two leading British contenders Ispolini and Marmelo, which ran second behind Cross Counter in last year’s Cup (pictured above).

Racing Victoria stewards ordered their scratching on veterinary advice after scans showed what has been interpreted as an “incomplete fracture”.

But English trainer Hughie Morrison and Marmelo’s Australian owner, Ozzie Kheir, dispute that finding.

Morrison claimed to Ross and John that the scans have been available for several weeks and local vets have drawn a different analysis to that done by a world-renowned British vet.

He accused Racing Victoria of allowing his horse to travel to Australia under “false pretenses”, although that logic would seem to dictate that simply because the horse wasn’t injured when in the UK it can’t be injured now.

The 3AW Rumour File was told the connections of Marmelo will be issuing Supreme Court injunctions prior to Tuesday.

Morrison couldn’t confirm if owners have headed down that path, but added: “I have every good reason that we all should be contemplating legal action because there’s no reason to take our horse out.”

Leading local trainer Chris Waller, meanwhile, backed the decision by local stewards.

Click PLAY to hear Hughie Morrison with Ross and John

(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)