Melbourne Cup hope Withhold may need prep race in Australia to get a run

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Roger Charlton, whose gelding Withhold has been a leading ante-post contender for the Melbourne Cup since winning the Northumberland Plate in June, said on Wednesday that he may be forced to give the gelding a preliminary race in Australia next month to get him into the final 24-runner field for the race that stops the Australian nation on 6 November.

Withhold has not been to the track since his easy two-and-three-quarter-length win at Newcastle this year, which followed a similarly smooth success in the Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket last season. The five‑year‑old, who is owned by the Brighton chairman Tony Bloom, was a big gamble for both races before setting off as the 5-1 favourite and Charlton was initially confident that two wins in such valuable and competitive events would secure a place in the Melbourne Cup field without another run.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Ntv1y8
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