Vinnie faces anxious weather wait

Melbourne Cup BBC Five Live 0410 GMT Tue Nov 2

Trainer Dermot Weld is prepared to wait until the last minute before deciding whether Vinnie Roe will participate in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.

Weld is worried that the going at the Flemington course could be too firm for his four-time Irish St Leger winner.

There was heavy rain in Melbourne last week but the track is now drying out.

"If it means waiting until Tuesday morning before making a final decision, then that will be the case," Weld told the Racing Post.

However, Weld seems likely to let Vinnie Roe take his chance before an expected record crowd of 130,000.

A wetter track may suit European-based horses used to slower conditions.

European raiders happy with draw

Vinnie Roe was fourth behind stablemate Media Puzzle in the 2002 Melbourne Cup but jarred his legs on the Flemington surface and was out of action for a year.

Irishman Weld, the only European trainer to have won the Melbourne Cup, also won the race with Vintage Crop in 1993.