Cup Favourite on the Road to Recovery

White Marlin (Mastercrafstman-Playwithmyheart, by Diktat), at one point a strong favourite for the Melbourne Cup, has begun the initial stages of a hopeful comeback to the racetrack by returning to pre-training within the past month. According to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, the horse, who won his first six starts, has been in pre-training for nearly a month after sustaining tendon injuries in August last year, reports racing.com. Despite positive early signs, there remains a considerable journey ahead before the rising seven-year-old can resume full training at their stables. The striking Irish import made a notable entrance onto the racing scene by triumphing by a big distance in the Macca's Run over 2800 meters on Melbourne Cup Day in 2022, and later added the Group 3 Easter Cup to his achievements the following year. A son of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer), White Marlin's last race was in May 2023, finishing second in the Andrew Ramsden (a win would have seen him ballot-free). With only eight starts to date, he boasts an impressive record of six wins and no finish worse than second place. Before being cleared to return to competition, Racing Victoria stewards will require an ultrasound to lift the embargo on White Marlin's race participation.