When asked if it was unfair on punters that the horse was still being listed in betting markets, the spokesperson said they advised gamblers to be cautious about backing international horses before they arrived safely in Melbourne.

Racing Victoria said international horses were subjected to three vet inspections as well as a CT or MRI scan before being cleared to travel to Melbourne.

Relentless Voyager was trained by Englishman Andrew Balding when it ran eighth in last month’s Ebor Handicap in York. The horse was then bought by Australian connections to be trained by Ciaron Maher.

The two sources said Relentless Voyager was now expected to target the newly created Rosehill Gold Cup and Rosehill Five Diamonds Stakes instead of the race that stops the nation.

The horse will have to pass a series of new scans before it arrives at the Canterbury quarantine centre. Racing NSW stewards are awaiting results.

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Since the introduction of new veterinary protocols in 2021, the Melbourne Cup has been run without serious injuries.

“We are eager to maintain that trend which is in the best overall interests of Victorian racing,” the Racing Victoria spokesperson said.

Hegan has assigned the Melbourne Cup top weight of 58.5kg to last year’s winner Without A Fight, while equal favourite Vauban will carry 55.5kg – 0.5kg more than last year.

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Weights for other notable runners include Warmonger (53.5kg), Circle Of Fire (54.5kg), Harbour Wind (53kg), Point King (50.5kg), Maher import Saint George (50kg), the Willie Mullins-trained Absurde (52.5kg), Fawkner Park (55kg), Place Du Carrousel (54kg), Illinois (53kg) and Jan Brueghel (54kg).

Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien was critical of the Racing Victorian testing protocols on Friday when he revealed he was waiting for vets to test his Cup hopefuls, Illinois and Jan Brueghel.

“They are all getting scanned over the next while and then they check them, but very few horses pass the criteria, especially young horses,” he told Racing Post.

“It’s very difficult for three-year-olds to get through because they are still growing and their bones are still maturing so I wouldn’t be sure about any of them getting in and being allowed to run. It’s ridiculous really.”