THE Melbourne curse has struck John Singleton again. His Melbourne Cup dreams were shattered when the Gai Waterhouse-trained Tuesday Joy suffering a bleeding attack and was banned for three months when beaten in Saturday's Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.

Speaking yesterday from Port Douglas where he watches the NRL grand final each year with friends, Singleton said: "I'm trying to mend my wounds. I went down the gym this morning but came back to my room and spent two hours on my own."

Singleton spoke about deja vu. About Veloso missing a place in the Melbourne Cup despite winning the Mackinnon three days earlier. About his AJC Australian Oaks winner Sunday Joy finishing at the tail in a Caulfield Cup and of Zagalia, which was withdrawn from a Melbourne Cup by order of Racing Victoria chief steward Des Gleeson.

"It is a hoodoo," Singleton joked. "I said after Des Gleeson scratched Zagalia I'd never send a horse to Melbourne, at all, under any circumstances but he [Gleeson] retired. If he hadn't I wouldn't have been down there so it's his fault again!

"But I'll be positive, I was going to shout every bar in Australia Bluetongue [beer] if she won the cup so I've saved money there."

A decision on Tuesday Joy's future will be made within a week.

Singleton has received a couple of seven-figure offers for the home-bred.

"I've kept all the fillies out of the mare Joie Denise and if the offers get to $10 million I'd reluctantly sell," Singleton said, while all but ruling out heading abroad.

"I could recreate the Strawberry Road journey and take her overseas. If I could find a trainer to dedicate his life to her but what sort of trainer dedicates his life to a horse that has just bled?"

It was a bad day down south as Singleton and Lloyd Wiliams' Publishing flopping in the race following the Turnbull. Singleton said: "It will probably have to be retired, had a couple of throat operations already, can't get enough air."

But all is not completely lost for Singleton - there is a small Melbourne Cup dream surviving as he has a slice in the New Zealand Derby winner C'est La Guerre.

"My interest in C'est La Guerre, which I share with my mate Lloydy Williams, is growing," Singleton said.

"I had no interest in C'est La Guerre but a bit of fun."

In keeping with the curse Singleton added: "It did run terrible last start."