Brown Panther groom returns to England after quarantine breach

Brown Panther groom returns to England after quarantine

breach

Andy Jackson, head lad to trainer Tom Dascombe and one of the caretakers

responsible for Michael Owen's Brown Panther in the lead-up to the November 5

Melbourne Cup, has been sent back to Britain from the International Horse Center

in Werribee after breaching quarantine security Monday. Jackson reportedly

jumped fences to enter the quarantine station housing all of the international

runners for next week's Melbourne Cup.

"As you can understand, security around the center is tight, but for some

reason the groom jumped some fences to get in and out," Racing Victoria

International Recruitment Officer Leigh Jordan told PA Sport.

"It was a totally inappropriate thing to do, but it is a testimony to our set

up that we managed to catch him and get him showered.

"It's a secure area and not everyone has to shower each time they go in -- I

go down every morning for instance -- but there are designated areas for entry

and exit, and people must enter and exit in a certain way, and that obviously

hasn't been followed in this case.

"We discussed it with the government and the only solution was that he should

not be allowed back into quarantine. That was the logical conclusion. It seems a

very strange thing to do and it is a pretty severe breach. Our systems are

verified by the government, though, and they are very happy with them.

"In the past we have had the odd case of a breach, but nothing on this

scale."

The Melbourne Cup preparation for Brown Panther, and the rest of the horses

at the quarantine station, has not been affected.

In other Melbourne news:

Puissance de Lune, winner of the Blamey and P.B. Lawrence, has pulled up lame

in his near foreleg after his 12th-place finish in Saturday's Cox Plate. Plans

for the six-year-old Darren Weir charge, who was once favored for the Melbourne

Cup, have not yet been revealed, but he was not included in the latest Melbourne

Cup order of entry released Monday.

"He hasn't pulled up like he normally would, so we'll get him back to

Ballarat and then go from there," Weir said. "I haven't made an official

decision whether he heads for a spell, but we will be looking after the horse's

best interests first."

Cox Plate favorite It's a Dundeel, who never factored to finish eighth, is

reportedly scheduled to fly back to New Zealand Thursday.

Jockey Tommy Berry, booked to ride the Gai Waterhouse-trained French import

Tres Blue in the Melbourne Cup, got on the three-year-old for the first time

Monday for a spin around the International Equine Center at Werribee. The pair

went for a canter and half-paced gallop that left Berry pleased.

"We had a couple of nice canters and he gave me a very nice ride," the jockey

said.

Tres Blue, who was recently purchased by Round Table Racing with original

owner Horst Rapp maintaining a share, won the Prix de Reux August 4 at Deauville

followed by the Grand Prix de Deauville August 25. Prior to those efforts, he

finished second in the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg July 7.

Trevieres, second in the Toorak Handicap October 12 on his Australian debut,

will be forced to miss the Spring Carnival after fracturing his near-fore cannon

bone while training at the International Equine Center at Werribee Monday. The

French-based five-year-old had completed his daily gallop and was heading back

to his barn when rider Stephanie Nigge, daughter of trainer Markus Nigge, felt

something amiss with the gelding.

Owners Kevin and Coleen Bamford had been considering a start in either

Flemington's Group 1 Mackinnon on Saturday or the Group 1 Emirates (registered

as the Cantala) November 9 for Trevieres.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com