Roger Charlton has revealed that Withhold is unlikely to return to feature in the Melbourne Cup after last year’s injury disappointment.
The six-year-old was expected to be a serious contender for the Flemington showpiece after following up his Cesarewitch Handicap success in 2017 with victory in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle last summer.
However, an eighth-placed finish in the Geelong Cup when in Australia hampered Withhold’s chances of booking a Melbourne Cup spot, while a broken blood vessel in a prep run ended the adventure Down Under.
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As a result, Charlton appears keen to stay closer to home when deciding on a schedule in 2019, with his charge now back in training. “I don’t know (about going for the Melbourne Cup),” he said. “I wasn’t impressed by the quarantine facilities, and I think the track is difficult to train on.
“There was a certain amount of criticism about the bedding and the forage.” “It’s a long way to go to break a blood vessel,” added Charlton. “He may well bleed – but it is better to bleed closer to home. “You have to come through with a healthy horse after a long journey, and he didn’t make the cut. “There are no complaints really. What happens in the future, we will see – but there are plenty of nice races here.”
