Melbourne Cup 2018: Roger Charlton’s big race hope Withhold out of race after heavy bleed during Geelong Cup
The five-year-old had attempted to force his way into the 'race that stops a nation' with a Geelong Cup raid
WITHHOLD will not race in the Melbourne Cup after he suffered a broken blood vessel in the Geelong Cup.
He was sent off the hot 11-5 favourite, as Roger Charlton looked to guarantee his star a run in the Flemington showpiece, but bled from both nostrils to finish a fading eighth.
After memorable wins in the Cesarewitch and the Northumberland Plate, the Melbourne Cup was mooted as the next logical step.
Owner Tony Bloom has always targeted a winner in the 'race that stops a nation' and Withhold was well fancied in the run up to Flemington.
However, it was not certain the gelding would get a run so Charlton decided to run him at Geelong to ensure he would get in the final field.
But the plan backfired as the five-year-old unfortunately bled from both nostrils in the mile-and-a-half contest.
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After racing prominently for much of the mile-and-a-half journey, he faded to finish eighth of 15 runners.
Speaking from home, Charlton said: "Unfortunately he had a bad bleed a long way out.
"He won't be running in the Melbourne Cup. He wouldn't be allowed to run for three months anyway, so that's that."
Victory in the Geelong Cup went to Runaway, who beat stablemate Northwest Passage to provide training partners Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with a one-two.