English Melbourne Cup hopeful Wunderwood was put down after breaking his leg in a training mishap on Thursday.

The eight-year-old, among a powerful international contingent who have made the long trip to Australia for the country's richest and most famous horse race, shattered his near pastern, two small bones located between the fetlock joint and the hoof.

The freak injury happened while the stayer was warming up in preparation for his morning trackwork at Mornington under the guidance of his English trainer David Elsworth.

"He suffered multiple fractures and was in severe pain and after a veterinary inspection, it was decided the best thing to do was to have him humanely destroyed," Racing Victoria's director of racing operations Leigh Jordon told Reuters.

Wunderwood has been plagued by problems since arriving in Australia and was already racing against time to be ready for next week's A$5.1 million (US$3.9 million) Melbourne Cup after injuring a hoof in training.

The gelding had been restricted to light exercise because of lameness but was showing signs of improvement and connections were hopeful of getting him to the start of Tuesday's big race.

WORST EXPERIENCE

"It's the worst kind of experience any of us people who work with these horses have to endure," trainer Elsworth said.

"We get very close with these horses, we work with them, we live with them. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, it is too often."

Elsworth, whose previous Cup entrant Persian Punch finished third in 1998 and 2001, believed Wunderwood would have performed creditably in the 3,200m slog at Flemington.

"The horse had credentials to run a very good race, to even win the race, but we'll never know now."

Foreign-trained horses have a poor record in the Melbourne Cup.

Only two horses trained outside Australia or New Zealand have won the race since it was first run in 1861 but expectations are high that one of the international raiders will succeed this year.

Six of the international entrants -- Yeats, Imperial Stride, Delta Blues, Pop Rock, Geordieland and Land 'N' Stars -- are already fully qualified for the race and dominating early betting markets while Glistening and Soulacroix are also hoping to earn a spot in the 24-runner field.

($1=A$1.29)