A late change of training plans for English Melbourne Cup hope Mad Rush should be seen as a sign of the horse's good health and fitness, according to his trainer.Mad Rush had been scheduled to travel from Sandown to Flemington for a familiarisation gallop on Tuesday, just as his stablemate Purple Moon did before he finished second in last year's Cup.But trainer Luca Cumani said he had cancelled the trip at the last minute."I decided late last night that the horse is ready, he didn't need to go,"

A late change of training plans for English Melbourne Cup hope Mad Rush should be seen as a sign of the horse's good health and fitness, according to his trainer.

Mad Rush had been scheduled to travel from Sandown to Flemington for a familiarisation gallop on Tuesday, just as his stablemate Purple Moon did before he finished second in last year's Cup.

But trainer Luca Cumani said he had cancelled the trip at the last minute.

"I decided late last night that the horse is ready, he didn't need to go," Cumani said.

"I didn't want to subject him to the stress of going there in the traffic, going there and bringing him back."

Cumani said Purple Moon had benefited from a look at the Cup course because he was inclined to be on edge on race day.

"Showing him the racetrack would have calmed his nerves for the big day," he said.

Mad Rush, the $6.50 second favourite, worked instead at Sandown with stable companion Bauer who is an $18 chance in the Cup.

Cumani's latest Cup raid is his third, and his strongest, having come to Melbourne in 2006 with Soulacroix and Glistening and last year with Purple Moon.

"The first year we didn't know what we were doing," Cumani said.

"We were coming Down Under for the first time, we probably had the wrong horses.

"Last year we had a better horse and probably learned from the previous year.

"I think this year is going to be a stronger year than last year."

As strong as his hand may be, Cumani also believes this year's Cup will be a tougher race to win, thanks mainly to the strength of the European contingent.

At least eight European runners are likely to line up at Flemington next Tuesday, among them a horse Cumani rates as Europe's best stayer.

"Septimus is definitely the best stayer in Europe, by a long way," he said.

"So he's the horse that deserves to be favourite."

Cumani rates the Aidan O'Brien-trained runner as a superior horse to his stablemate Yeats who is the winner of three Ascot Gold Cups and last weekend won the Group One Prix Royal Oak in France.

"He's probably more versatile than Yeats," Cumani said.

"Yeats only has one way of running.

"I think Septimus has more of a change of gear than Yeats."