Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Mark Twain ruled out of Melbourne Cup
Richard Edmunds • October 31st, 2025 2:18 pm
Mark Twain won't contest next Tuesday's Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) | Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
For the second year in a row, the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) dream has gone unfulfilled for the connections of highly talented Kiwi stayer Mark Twain.
The son of Shocking secured a golden ticket into last year’s Melbourne Cup with a stunning last-to-first performance in the Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington in March of 2024. However, a tendon injury ruled him out of Cup contention and put him on the sidelines for more than a year.
Mark Twain pleased his trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood in the early stages of his comeback campaign this spring, including a big second-up run for a close sixth behind Mr Brightside, Aeliana, Via Sistina, Antino and Tom Kitten in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 13.
But the six-year-old’s subsequent appearances have resulted in an 11th placed finish in the Gr.3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m), 13th in the Gr.3 Bart Cummings (2500m), 11th in the Gr.3 Coongy Cup (2000m) and ninth in Wednesday’s Gr.3 Bendigo Cup (2400m), prompting James and Wellwood to rule him out of the Melbourne Cup on November 4.
“It’s disappointing to have a Melbourne Cup campaign not work out again this year,” James said.
“He’s always been a very quirky horse to ride on raceday, and it’s proved that way again this time in.
“His first run in Australia this time in was very good over a mile against a star-studded field at weight-for-age, but then he went up to 2500m at Flemington and raced far too keenly for his own good. That was his undoing.
“We took the blinkers off and dropped him back to 2000m for the Coongy, where he was caught three wide and had to improve around the outside from the 1200m to the 600m. It was perhaps not one of Jamie Mott’s best rides, and we couldn’t really judge him on that.
“He went into the Bendigo Cup this week in absolutely magnificent order. I’ve been over here with him for the last couple of weeks and I couldn’t fault him at all. He was in stunning condition.
“Jordan Childs gave him an 11-out-of-10 ride at Bendigo, he couldn’t have ridden him any better in that race, but then he came back in and said he felt the horse had a lot more to give and just wasn’t very generous at all. He asked if we’d tried blinkers. I don’t think it’s the time or place to be putting blinkers back on and going up to two miles in a Melbourne Cup.
“His form line is very ordinary. I have no doubt the horse can come back and perform to his best again in a future preparation. He’ll go out for a spell now, and I believe he’s probably now going to stay here in Australia for his future racing.”
Back on home soil, the stable’s dual Group One winner Orchestral contested an 1100m trial for Group and Listed performers at Pukekohe on Wednesday.
“It was a very heavy track, which she didn’t handle, but she’s bounced through it well,” James said. “I’d advise people to take no notice of the trial.
“Around the stable, I think she’s a better mare now than we’ve ever had her before. She’s often been a bit hormonal in her previous preparations, but she’s a lot better in that respect this time.
“She’s certainly a big, strong mare now and I think she’s in for an exciting season.
“We’re undecided where that campaign might begin. She could go to Counties for the fillies and mares’ race on Cup Day (Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, 1400m), but we’ll take a few more days to work that out.”
James and Wellwood also have a team of six entered for Tauranga on Saturday, with James identifying the smart last-start maiden winner Hasstorock as the headline act.
The daughter of U S Navy Flag won by two lengths in an 1100m race at Taupo on October 10 and will contest Saturday’s Armory Standing at Mapperley Stud 3YO (1200m).
“It’s a strong field that she’s up against on Saturday, but she did win nicely last start and her work has been very good since,” James said. “She’s probably the best of our chances on Saturday. The two maidens (Undisputed and Dida) are going well but they’ve drawn wide in their races, so we’ll decide on them in the morning.”
