Cleveland scratched from Melbourne Cup

The Kris Lees-trained Cleveland has been scratched from Tuesday’s 2023 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington due to an elevated temperature.

Racing Victoria stewards broke the news on Monday evening, making the last-start Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner the first scratching of this year’s Cup.

Subsequent to passing his physical veterinary inspection earlier on Monday, trainer Lees reported to stewards that Cleveland had developed a high temperature and was no longer fit to take his place in the race.

Cleveland was a +2600 chance following the barrier draw on Saturday afternoon, with that price drifting out to +4000 with the best Melbourne Cup betting sites.

The Lees stable will still be represented by Archer Stakes (2500m) winner Kalapour.

Cleveland’s scratching leaves 2022 Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Michael Dee without a ride in the Melbourne Cup, joining the likes of Damian Lane and Blake Shinn on the sidelines.

A $0.01 deduction for the win price has been applied to bets made prior to the scratching.