Leading Emirates Melbourne Cup 2010 hope Meiner Kitz is now an uncertain contender for Australia's most prestigious race in early November after suffering an unspecified setback during training, writes Elliot Slater.
The tremendously popular Japanese stayer has amassed total career prize money of a stunning £2,700,000 and had been expected to be amongst the leading contenders for this year's renewal of the Flemington two-mile spectacular for which he was generally available at odds of around 25/1.
The seven-year-old son of Chief Braveheart pulled up lame after a training session on Thursday and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be fit enough to be shipped to Australia on the intended date of September 20. Winner of Japan's leading stayers' event, the Grade 1 Tenno Sho at Kyoto last year, Meiner Kitz finished runner-up in this year's renewal and had been expected to be well suited to the track and likely conditions for the Melbourne Cup.
Japanese raiders for the Australian showpiece are taken very seriously these days since the tremendous 1-2 finish for the nation when their Delta Blues beat countryman Pop Rock by a short-head to win the 2005 Melbourne Cup at odds of 17/1.
Ireland's Ascot Gold Cup winner Rite of Passage, trained by Dermot Weld remains a general 14/1 favourite with most European firms, with stable companion Profound Beauty (16/1), next in the list.
Luca Cumani, who has gone so close to winning the race in recent runnings with Bauer and Purple Moon, was clearly delighted with the brave success of his Drunken Sailor who got the better of Bergo by a short-head in the listed March Stakes at Goodwood.
Local betting firms reacted coolly however to the performance with the Tendulkar gelding remaining on general offer at 33/1 in the Melbourne Cup odds.
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