Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling will not race in Hong Kong before returning to the Joseph O’Brien stable in Ireland.

Plans for Rekindling to travel to Hong Kong from Melbourne with the Irish Derby winner Latrobe have been scrapped due to the logistics and quarantine protocols.

Team Williams, owners of both horses, wanted them to travel together and race at Sha Tin next month before both returned to Ireland.

However Rekindling, having been in Australia for 12 months, holds a different classification to Latrobe under Australian quarantine requirements.

Latrobe has only been in Australia since last month and is still regarded as a visiting horse even though he has raced in Melbourne, finishing second in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) on November 10 on the final day of Flemington’s Melbourne Cup carnival.

Part-owner Nick Williams said Latrobe will still travel to Hong Kong for the International Vase (2400m) at Sha Tin on December 9 while Rekindling will be sent direct to Ireland.

Rekindling has not raced since his 2017 Melbourne Cup victory due to a training setback that ended plans for him to race in Melbourne this spring.

He is returning to Ireland to rejoin the O’Brien stable due to the bigger range of races available for him in the UK and Europe.

Williams said Australia does not offer enough races to suit a stayer like Rekindling, who became the first northern hemisphere three-year-old to win the Melbourne Cup.

“He needs to race over 2400m and further so the best option is to send him back to Joseph. There's a race every week or every month for him,” Williams said.

Williams confirmed that this year’s beaten Melbourne Cup favourite Yucatan Ire is staying in Australia with plans to give him a light autumn campaign.

Yucatan was beaten into 11th place on the wet track in the Melbourne Cup after his stunning win in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield at his Australian debut.