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‘I don’t feel that’s good enough’: International manager hits out Melbourne Cup technology

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Cite

Ryan, P. (2026, November 1). ‘I don’t feel that’s good enough’: International manager hits out Melbourne Cup technology. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/racing/i-don-t-feel-that-s-good-enough-international-manager-hits-out-melbourne-cup-technology-20261101-p61ad4.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

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The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-11-01 · by Peter Ryan

Quick Summary

Kevin Blake, racing manager for Joseph O’Brien’s stable, criticized the Melbourne Cup rules after horse Defiantly was scratched due to concerns about its gait three days before the race. The current regulations prevent late entries if betting technology cannot accommodate more than 24 runners, a limitation Blake finds inadequate. Despite the loss of Defiantly, the O’Brien stable still has five horses in contention, with Kizlyar replacing Defiantly and benefiting from an advantageous draw.
Written by AI on 2026-11-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 120571 · logged 2026-11-01

Story

📰 Melbourne Cup Technology Criticized
Technology · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 10% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 61/100
“Article A describes Defiantly failing a veterinary test, while Article B discusses the broader implications of such late scratchings for race management and technology.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
10%
2 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-01 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

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Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 5709 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Peter Ryan
31 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The stewards had to make the decision three days out from the race due to the need to lock in the field of 24 at 4.30pm on Saturday, despite the fact the horse may have made the necessary improvement in the remaining two days to take his place.
🔮 He not only gained a golden ticket but denied the Irish trainer a chance to have a sixth runner in the great race. Alongside Point of Law, Maher has Saint George, Juja Kibo, Middle Earth, Mr Monaco, Shockletz, Royal Supremacy and Zahrann sitting inside the top 24 in the order of entry while a ninth entrant Kings Valley is battling for a start. The previous record was when Robert Hickmott saddled up six runners for owner Lloyd Williams in 2013. O’Brien will race last year’s runner-up Goodie Two Shoes as well as Defiantly, Sons and Lovers, Trustyourinstinct and James J Braddock. It means the master trainers from opposite sides of the world are likely to saddle up half the field and have the top six fancied runners in the race.
🔮 The Joseph O’Brien-trained Small Fry chased hard but could not bridge the gap and finished second, meaning his start on the first Tuesday in November is not guaranteed.
🔮 Reigning Open champion Ryan Fox will attempt to become the first Kiwi to win the Australian Open after confirming he will join US Masters champion Rory McIlroy at Kingston Heath in December.
🔮 McNeil, who won the 2020 Melbourne Cup on Twilight Payment, will miss Tuesday’s Kyneton Cup meeting.
🔮 Both jockeys involved in the fall during Saturday’s Caulfield Cup that led to the death of Australasian Oaks winner Ohope Wins will be released from hospital on Sunday morning.
🔮 He will carry top weight into the Caulfield Cup and the stable knows many have their doubts he can repeat his effort from last year.
🔮 His dissatisfaction with the Swans shows he doesn’t believe his involvement in whatever may have happened at the Pullman has been fairly reflected in Sydney’s decisions.
🔮 Hawk forwards Aidan Schubert and Sam Butler will become Gold Coast players as early as Monday as the Suns bolster their forward line following the loss of Ben King to Hawthorn.
🔮 The Blues will release a statement on Sunday after reports circulated in the morning that players had required emergency medical care and that recreational drugs had allegedly been involved.
Also by Peter Ryan
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 31 articles by Peter Ryan →

Topics

Defiantly Derby Sons And Lovers Trustyourinstinct the Melbourne Cup

Subjects

Blake PERSON · 4× Kizlyar PERSON · 2× O’Brien PERSON · 2× Craig Williams PERSON · 1× Defiantly PERSON · 1× Dylan Brown-McMonagle PERSON · 1× James J Braddock PERSON · 1× James McDonald PERSON · 1× Joseph O’Brien’s PERSON · 1× Kevin Blake PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“I’m a guest here so I don’t want to be telling people what to do, but for the reason to be that the technology can’t cope with more than 24 runners in 2026 … I don’t feel that’s good enough.” Defiantly’s withdrawal gives stablemate Kizlyar a start, meaning the O’Brien stable still has five runners – but it robs the race of a natural leader, with the four-year-old gelding a noted frontrunner.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-01
🔮 The stewards had to make the decision three days out from the race due to the need to lock in the field of 24 at 4.30pm on Saturday, despite the fact the horse may have made the necessary improvement in the remaining two days to take his place.

Claims (21 extracted, 2 hedged)

Joseph O’Brien’s racing manager Kevin Blake has called for emergencies to become part of the Melbourne Cup after stewards scratched Defiantly on Saturday due to concerns about his gait. asserted
stewards → call → gait
The stewards had to make the decision three days out from the race due to the need to lock in the field of 24 at 4.30pm on Saturday, despite the fact the horse may have made the necessary improvement in the remaining two days to take his place. uncertain
horse → have → place
Emergencies are considered impossible because betting technology can’t handle late inclusions to a field of 24. asserted
technology → consider → 24
It means if there are late scratchings between 4.30pm Saturday and the race start, fewer runners will race rather than the next qualified horses in the order of entry being granted a start. “ asserted
horses → mean → start
We know it’s rigorous, we know it’s tough, and so we’re not going to cry about [the decision]. asserted
we → know → decision
We’re all big boys and girls, but probably the main takeaway from it is they probably need to sort out their emergency situation,” Blake said. asserted
Blake → ’re → situation
“I’m a guest here so I don’t want to be telling people what to do, but for the reason to be that the technology can’t cope with more than 24 runners in 2026 … I don’t feel that’s good enough.” Defiantly’s withdrawal gives stablemate Kizlyar a start, meaning the O’Brien stable still has five runners – but it robs the race of a natural leader, with the four-year-old gelding a noted frontrunner. asserted
gelding → ’m → leader
Blake said the jockey Dylan Brown-McMonagle, who had been booked to ride Defiantly, would now jump on Sons And Lovers, who was the best drawn of their five starters with barrier three. asserted
who → say → barrier
He said local jockeys James McDonald and Craig Williams would need to weave some magic to their mounts Trustyourinstinct and James J Braddock in a good spot after they drew barriers 18 and 24 respectively. asserted
they → say → barriers
McDonald is the in-form jockey after an exhilarating Derby Day where he won four races including the Derby and Trustyourinstinct is sure to win support due to his presence in the saddle. asserted
Trustyourinstinct → win → saddle
“James is going to have to work his magic to get in and get cover [and] get him racing efficiently, but he is a very classy horse unexposed to the trip,” Blake said. asserted
Blake → go → trip
“[He] looks to have a leading chance in the book, so you just hope he gets a kind spin from the draw.” asserted
he → look → draw
Last year’s runner-up Goodie Two Shoes is said to be in better form than last season and is expected to carry big bets from his owner J.P. McManus. asserted
Shoes → say → owner
Blake also talked up Kizlyar’s chances despite his disappointing run in the Moonee Valley Cup, which became a sit and sprint at the finish. asserted
which → talk → finish
Defiantly may run in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday as a consolation, with O’Brien due to fly in from the Breeders’ Cup, which is raced in the US, on Monday. uncertain
which → run → Monday
Meanwhile at Werribee, Ethan Brown was pleased with Point of Law’s work on Sunday when he visited the horse he rode to victory in the Geelong Cup. asserted
he → visit → Cup
‘No one stops a nation like me’: How Flemington landed Robbie Williams asserted
Flemington → stop → Williams
- Pay-off: One is the race that stops a nation, the other will make you $30 million - asserted
you → stop → nation
The Birdcage: New level of hidden access makes it even more exclusive - Invitation only: What it will cost to score public access to Birdcage marquees - asserted
it → make → marquees
See who’s cooking at Flemington for spring carnival asserted
who → see → carnival
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. asserted
News → send → sport
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