Racing: Shocking out of Australian Cup, again

MELBOURNE: Melbourne Cup winner Shocking has been scratched from the A$1 million ($1.26 million) Australian Cup at Flemington for the second week in a row after a foot abscess flared up again yesterday.

Trainer Mark Kavanagh had been confident that Shocking's off-fore hoof had healed and he would be right to start today, although he did qualify that by saying that such ailments "can flare up again" which is exactly what happened.

Kavanagh said Shocking would be spelled, thus missing the Sydney autumn carnival.

The scratching of Shocking, who had been A$7 equal second pick with Zipping behind the A$6 favourite Heart Of Dreams, forced a reshuffle of the TAB Sportsbet market.

Heart Of Dreams has firmed to A$5.50 top pick with Zipping at A$6, Miss Maren and Sirmione at A$8, Barbaricus at A$9.50 and Extra Zero next best at A$12.

A massive hailstorm which forced the Cup to be postponed a week gave Shocking the chance to recover and run in the race but it was not to be.

There will now be 14 runners with Shocking and the ill-fated Our Aqaleem, who fractured a shoulder in trackwork at Flemington on Thursday morning, out of the Group One 2000m feature.

Trainer David Hayes had believed Our Aqaleem was his best prospect but is now relying on three-year-old Extra Zero and last year's third placegetter Zagreb as his best chances of giving him his third win in the race ahead of Hobart Cup winner Growl.

Hayes won the 1991 Australian Cup with Better Loosen Up while Niconero took out the race last year.

Master trainer Bart Cummings rated 2008 winner Sirmione as his better chance to give him his 14th Australian Cup ahead of Moatize who he said was at his best over further than 2000m.

Cummings' wins in the race stretch over 40 years having won it for the first time with Arctic Coast in 1968.

Owner Lloyd Williams will try to win the race with eight-year-old Zipping who is yet to win at Group One level but has won the past three Group Two Sandown Classics (2400m) and been second and third respectively in the past two Cox Plates (2040m).

Williams said Zipping ran home his final 600m in 33 seconds when resuming with a seventh to Typhoon Tracy in the CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 6. "He's as fit as we can get him, but whether he's up to winning the Australian Cup at his age ..." Williams said.

Trainer Nigel Blackiston has put the blinkers back on Littorio and is hopeful the Bellotto five-year-old is back near the form that won him the 2008 Group One Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.

After resuming with an encouraging fifth in the Orr, Littorio finished a solid fourth to La Rocket in the St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield and returns to the scene of his greatest triumph today.

Recent Melbourne Cup winners to have completed the double in the same season have been Let's Elope (1992) and Makybe Diva (2005).

- AAP