No Efficient for Cups

2007 winner Efficient and Japanese pair Jaguar Mail and Meiner Kitz are the notable absentees from the list of first acceptors for the 150th Emirates Melbourne Cup.

A total of 151 horses accepted for the race but Efficient, who has been plagued by leg troubles since his Cup win three years ago has been left out of the big race as well as from nominations for the Tatts Cox Plate and the BMW Caulfield Cup.

He had been allotted top weight of 58kg along with stable mate Alandi when weights were released last week but the seven-year-old's hopes of returning to the racetrack seem grim as he continues to battle injury.

Issues surrounding quarantine mean Jaguar Mail and Meiner Kitz have been ruled out, while Godolphin's English St Leger winner Mastery and Luca Cumani's Purple Moon are the other major international horses among the 105 withdrawals from the Melbourne Cup.

However, there are 28 internationally-trained horses paid up for the Melbourne Cup, ten more than each of the two previous years.

As expected locals Littorio, Shamoline Warrior and Kutchinsky are all out of the Cups through injury.

There are 109 acceptors for the Caulfield Cup but Predatory Pricer, Allez Wonder and Zipping are not among them.

Only one of the 89 first acceptors for the Cox Plate is internationally-trained, Macau's Luen Yat Forever, but last year's winner So You think, Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy and boom horse Shoot Out are all there.

The main absentee from acceptors for the Caulfield Guineas is Blue Diamond winner Star Witness, who will be reserved to sprint races in the spring.