Racing: Hayes may change Cup plans

MELBOURNE - Victorian trainer David Hayes has been forced to put the Melbourne Cup preparation of Changingoftheguard on hold after the English import developed an abscess in his near-hind hoof.

Changingoftheguard was noticeably lame when he came out of his box yesterday morning, which forced Hayes to cancel his planned gallop with the Herman Brown-trained pair Bankable and Mourilyan.

Hayes said the abscess in itself was nothing serious but the horse would not be able to gallop until it burst, which he hopes is before Monday.

"We've got a few days up our sleeve [as far as the Melbourne Cup is concerned], but if he's not back on the track by Monday he will have missed too much work to start in it."

With Changingoftheguard unable to gallop, Bankable (Matt Pumpa) and Mourilyan (Glyn Schofield) worked together over 1600m, sprinting home strongly over the final 600m.

"He's a lovely, big horse and he wanted to go faster," Pumpa said.

Bankable led in the gallop, which is not his usual style according to Brown, and they finished on equal terms with neither horse being extended.

Schofield, who will ride Bankable in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Derby Day, was also happy with Mourilyan who he'll ride in the Melbourne Cup on November 3.

"He impressed me when I rode him for the first time last Saturday morning. He feels like a horse who can relax and he has a turn of foot."

Meanwhile, Leica Ding has been penalised half a kilogram in the Melbourne Cup after her win in Wednesday's Geelong Cup, Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter announced.

The penalty takes the Darren Weir-trained mare to 50.5kg in the Melbourne Cup and lifts her from 67th to 31st in the order of entry.

"The Geelong Cup was a genuinely run race on quick ground and Leica Ding gave a strong staying performance to beat a very competitive field," he said. Third declarations close on Monday.

- AAP