Dandino Out of Melbourne Cup

DANDINO OUT OF MELBOURNE CUP 
Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock and Merlin Bloodstock et al’s Dandino (GB) (Dansili {GB}) will miss the chance to build on a fifth-place finish in last year’s G1 Melbourne Cup after being scratched from Australia’s famed race yesterday. The 7-year-old was ruled out of last Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Cup with a soft tissue injury, and it is the same issue that will keep him from lining up for the Nov. 4 feature. ATB’s Darren Dance said future plans for the Marco Botti charge will be decided later next week. 
“Friday week we will close that off and know what we are doing,” he told www.thecourier.com.au. “It’s hard to know [what we will do] because I don’t know what the owners want to do. I’d like to give [racing] another go, but I’m only a shareholder.” 
ATB will still be represented in the Melbourne Cup by Seismos (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), a German Group 1 winner who finished 15th in the Caulfield Cup in his first Australian outing. 
“We bought him for the Melbourne Cup, so that’s his race,” Dance added. “Flemington is his track and it doesn’t matter whether it’s wet or dry.” 
Damien Oliver, who won last year’s Melbourne Cup aboard Fiorente (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), has gained the ride aboard the Johnny Murtagh-trained Mutual Regard (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}), a last-out winner of the Ebor H. at York Aug. 23. 
“I was starting to get concerned when I didn’t have [a Melbourne Cup ride] and when Johnny rang me on Sunday I was really pleased to take the ride,” Oliver told racing.com. “He’s a good stayer. The Ebor is traditionally a good form-guide for the Melbourne Cup. And without a stand-out Melbourne Cup horse this year, I think he’s got a good chance.”