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JOSEPH O'Brien hopes to erase the misery of the Cliffsofmoher's Melbourne Cup demise when crack Irish colt Latrobe contests the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
O'Brien was devastated by the death of the Cliffsofmoher, who was trained by his father Aidan, after the fractured fractured at an early shoulder in the Cup.
"It's unfortunate," he said. "Horses can be injured in a field. It's unfortunate it happened in the Melbourne Cup. "
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Ballydoyle foreman TJ Comerford said Aidan O'Brien was distressed by the fatal injury to the Cliffsofmoher, one of several European horses or seriously injured during the spring.
Joseph O'Brien said Latrobe had settled in well after connections to the Mackinnon.
"Very happy with him, he seems to have traveled to the race now," he said.
"We decided, after talking with Lloyd and Nick (Williams), not to go to the Cup because he did not have a place to go back.
"Rekindling was a guaranteed stayer. Latrobe is a less mature colt.
"That's why we decided he was a Mackinnon Stakes horse."
Latrobe will be ridden by Mark Zahra, who replaces the suspended Hugh Bowman.
O'Brien praised Charlie Appleby's effort to win the Cup with Cross Counter, a veteran of just seven pre-race starts.
"Fair play to Charlie and his team," O'Brien said.
"They did a fantastic job.
"They are going to plan and it's a plan well executed."
Aidan O'Brien has four runners in the $ 1 million VRC Sprint – US Navy Flag, Spirit of Valor, Cross Intelligence and Fleet Review.
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INTENT on cramming more at the bulging cabinet, Appleby hopes to book the spring carnival with Group 1 at Flemington on Saturday.
Appleby will saddle Blair House in the $ 2 million Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) and Jungle Cat in the $ 1 million VRC Sprint Clbadic (1200m).
With victories already in the Melbourne Cup with Cross Counter and the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes with Jungle Cat, Appleby has been the most successful of the international marauding trainers.
Sharing the spoils with Saeed bin Suroor (Caulfield Cup with Best Solution and Caulfield Stakes with Benbatl) and Charlie Fellowes (Lexus Stakes with Prince Of Arran), Appleby will fly his team back to Dubai on Sunday.
But not before a rich Flemington's departing tilt, where he hopes to add to his 13 Group 1s internationally this season.
Blair House faces nine rivals in the Mackinnon, including fellow raider and Irish Derby winner Latrobe.
"I'm very confident," said Appleby of the Caulfield Stakes runner-up.
"He's coming out of this last run well and we are purposely skipped the Cox Plate.
"We felt we could not get along with Benbatl, let alone Winx, so we could not have had so much fun with the Mackinnon with fresh legs.
"He looks great.
"I feel that they've got us to beat on Saturday."
Appleby will remove Jungle Cat after he takes on the cream of Australian sprinters.
"This is his swan song. He's been a favorite, "he said.
"Clearly, his career was winning the Al Quoz, then coming back to the Sir Rupert Clarke was a great achievement for him.
"We're dropping back to six (furlongs) and he's retiring for a reason – he's getting a bit older now – and he's taking it on the proper sprinters over here.
"It will be tough for him but one thing about him, he will not lie down."
William Buick will ride both Blair House and Jungle Cat.
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