The New Zealand contingent for Tuesday’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) has been dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Mahrajaan on veterinary advice.

The Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained gelding earned his shot at the A$8.5 million showpiece with his victories in last season’s Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) and Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m), but Racing Victoria stewards have ruled him out after their independent imaging panel deemed the seven-year-old to be at heightened risk of injury.

“It’s obviously a big disappointment for us and the owners,” Ritchie said. “Who doesn’t want to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup? And we know our horse runs a strong two miles, so it’s a tough one to swallow.

“But we’re philosophical and we respect the vets’ decision. At the end of the day, we’re horse lovers first and we want our horse to be safe and healthy.

“I’ll go in on Monday and they’ll take me through the results of their imaging and the exact reasons for their decision. Apparently they detected a small issue in a sesamoid, which hasn’t been picked up in X-rays we’ve done on the horse in the past. Their imaging is very high-tech and thorough, so it’ll be a good opportunity for me to see all the bells and whistles that they’ve got. It’ll give me a better understanding, so that if we come back next year, we’ll have a bit more information.

“Our owners are all on the same page. The horse has been so good to us, and the last thing we want is for him to be in any danger. We’ve got to respect the fact that if they found something they consider to be heightened risk, he shouldn’t be running in the race.”

Ritchie now hopes to prepare Mahrajaan for a defence of his Auckland Cup title on Champions Day at Ellerslie in March.

“He’s on a plane home on Wednesday night, and then we’ll give him a good break,” the Cambridge trainer said. “Once we bring him back into work, and subject to vets’ advice, we can work towards having another crack at the Auckland Cup.”

Mahrajaan’s withdrawal leaves three New Zealand-trained runners in the Melbourne Cup field – Team Rogerson’s Sharp ‘N’ Smart, the Andrew Forsman-trained Positivity, and the Bruce Wallace and Grant Cookely runner Trust In You.