Irish mare Profound Beauty is out of the Melbourne Cup after her owners decided against making the trip to Australia for the iconic race.
Trainer Dermot Weld contacted Racing Victoria's general manager of operations, Leigh Jordon, on Tuesday night to relay the news.
He told Jordon that Profound Beauty's owners felt she had already endured a long season and given the mare would continue racing into next season, they believed the trip to Australia would be too taxing.
Weld told Jordon he was disappointed with the decision and Jordon said the fact the Irish trainer would now be without a runner in the Melbourne Cup this year was a major blow.
"Dermot has been a major supporter of the carnival and would have been attempting to win the Melbourne Cup for the third time over a 16-year period, after his breakthrough win in the race in 1993 with Vintage Crop and again in 2002 with Media Puzzle," Jordon said.
Profound Beauty, who finished fifth to Viewed in the Melbourne Cup last year, has had four starts since then winning three times before failing to handle the soggy track when a well-beaten fourth to Alandi in the Irish St Leger at what was to have been her final lead-up run to the Cup.
She was the Melbourne Cup favourite prior to that flop.
Star Singapore mare Jolie's Shinju has also been ruled out of the Melbourne spring carnival due to heart irregularities.
The mare underwent ECG tests on Tuesday which revealed the condition and connections have decided to spell her.
The winner of the Singapore Derby in July, Jolie's Shinju finished third to Whobegotyou at her Australian debut in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes before beating just one runner home in the JRA Cup at Moonee Valley last month.
Jolie's Shinju was due to run in either the Yalumba Stakes or Toorak Handicap at Caulfield on Saturday ahead of a possible tilt at the Cox Plate.
