KEY POINTS:
MELBOURNE - Exciting American import Tacit Agreement was scheduled to gallop at Moonee Valley today ahead of making his debut in the JRA Kevin Sheedy Cup at the opening night meeting of the season at the track on Friday.
Now with the leading Danny O'Brien stable, Tacit Agreement
is being aimed at the $5 million Melbourne Cup in which he has been given 53kg.
"He's really dour and he might find some of the them too speedy for him around the Valley," O'Brien said last night.
"After that he'll go to the Herbert Power (now Winning Edge Presentations Stakes), then the Caulfield Cup."
Stablemate and fellow Melbourne Cup prospect Master O'Reilly was also to gallop at the Valley ahead of the JRA Cup (2040m).
"He'll also run in the Herbert Power and then we'll decide whether he goes to the Caulfield Cup or the Moonee Valley Cup," O'Brien said.
Tacit Agreement is yet to race on turf or win at group one level, but has won his past three starts by a combined total of 32 lengths, including a 1911m event by 15 lengths.
The Unbridled seven-year-old is proven over the Melbourne Cup journey, having won the Listed Bob Umphrey Stakes (3219m) which is the longest race in the US.
A winner of seven races from 20 starts, Tacit Agreement is at $41 with TAB Sportsbet for the Melbourne Cup, while last-start 2000m winner Master O'Reilly is a $13 chance.
* Queensland stayer Ice Chariot has been ruled out of the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups with a tendon injury.
Trainer Ron Maund said last year's Queensland Derby winner would undergo stem cell surgery as soon as possible to repair a hole in the suspensory ligament in his near front leg.
The injury was discovered early on Saturday morning which forced his withdrawal from the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
"He's never had a hair out of place his entire life and it's terrible news," Maund said.
"He's been cooking with gas while he's been in Melbourne and he hasn't taken a lame step yet.
"But my foreman (Neville Saunders) noticed he had some filling in his leg on Saturday morning and called the vet as a precaution.
"The vet said he had a hole in his tendon and I got another opinion from a second vet who said the same thing.
"He'll be out of action for months, not weeks, and won't be running in the Cups."
* Melbourne Cup preparations for Irish stayers Scorpion and Mahler have been stepped up with confirmation the Irish raiders will be placed into quarantine shortly.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained pair is set to contest Australia's most famous race on November 6.
"They haven't gone into quarantine just yet, but that will be happening shortly," O'Brien said.
"I'm not sure yet when they will fly out, but they may not go quite as early as Yeats did last year."
Yeats finished seventh under a big weight in last year's Melbourne Cup won by Japanese stayer Delta Blues.
He is currently being prepared for a trip to France early next month, along with Scorpion.
Scorpion is on the fourth line of Cup betting at $13, with Mahler rated a $21 chance.
AAP
