Tatts Cox Plate Jockey Comments
Bart Wins His Fourth Tatts Cox Plate
Scenic Deserves a Shot
Kavanagh Wary Of Favourite Tag For Whobegotyou
Bart Turns Attention To Cox Plate
Whobegotyou Remains Clear Favourite After Cox Plate Barrier Draw
Slick May Surprise
Rangirangdoo At Sea At Breakfast With The Best
Final Field Declared for 2009 Tatts Cox Plate
Full Speed Ahead
Uncertainty Over Final Cox Plate Field
Rock Kingdom Late Entry in Tatts Cox Plate
2009 Tatts Cox Plate Barrier Draw
Cox Plate Likely To Have Full Field Of 14
Breakfast With The Best Moonee Valley Track Gallops
So You Think A Chance For Big Dance
Angland Stares Down Cox Plate Stage Fright
Kavanagh Repeats Game Plan for Tatts Cox Plate
Predatory Pricer to Miss Tatts Cox Plate
Black Piranha Back To Best For Tatts Cox Plate
Jolie's Shinju Back In The Tatts Cox Plate Hunt
Injury ends Maldivian's Cox Plate Run
Speed Gifted Aims for Cox Plate
Betting freeze
Whobegotyou wins Yalumba Again
Manhattan Rain a Definite
Whobegotyou Debuts In World Top 50
Racing To Win Needs Big Form Reversal
Seven Yalumba rivals for Whobegotyou
Tight at the top for Cox Plate
Karakatsanis' Star On The Rise
Speed Gifted a Chance for Cox Plate
Cox Plate Attracts 39 Nominations
Top Mare Facing Heart Test
Efficient Races To Cox Plate
Rangirangdoo Heads To Melbourne
Age No Longer A Fashion Handicap at Moonee Valley
European contingent check out their surrounds
Rawiller Lands Nom Du Jeu Ride
European horses arrive safely in Melbourne
Jolie's Shinju Catches First Glimpse of the Valley
Jolie's Shinju Arrives For Tatts Cox Plate Campaign
Hong Kong Horses To Join Jolie’s Shinju’s Assault On Tatts Cox Plate
Jolie's Trainer Jets Into Australia
Jolie’s Shinju Arrives In Melbourne
Predatory Pricer Headed For Cox Plate
11 Internationals Nominate for Tatts Cox Plate
Vision And Power Primary Target the Tatts Cox Plate
Singapore's Latest Star Tatts Cox Plate Bound
Sir Slick Set to Bring a Ton of Experience to the Tatts Cox Plate
Vision And Power Aiming At Cox Plate
Sarrera Headed To NZ In Journey To Valley
Singapore's champion sprinter Rocket Man is injured and will miss the 2009 Spring Racing Carnival.
Cox Plate dream over for The Hussler
Weekend Hussler Doubtful for Tatts Cox Plate
Maldivian Setting Sights on 2nd Tatts Cox Plate
Weekend Husslers Spring Campaign Includes the Tatts Cox Plate
Collection Headed For Tatts Cox Plate
Chairman's Welcome
Maldivian Wins 2008 Tatts Cox Plate
Bart Wins His Fourth Tatts Cox Plate
Scenic Deserves a Shot
Kavanagh Wary Of Favourite Tag For Whobegotyou
Bart Turns Attention To Cox Plate
Whobegotyou Remains Clear Favourite After Cox Plate Barrier Draw
Slick May Surprise
Rangirangdoo At Sea At Breakfast With The Best
Final Field Declared for 2009 Tatts Cox Plate
Full Speed Ahead
Uncertainty Over Final Cox Plate Field
Rock Kingdom Late Entry in Tatts Cox Plate
2009 Tatts Cox Plate Barrier Draw
Cox Plate Likely To Have Full Field Of 14
Breakfast With The Best Moonee Valley Track Gallops
So You Think A Chance For Big Dance
Angland Stares Down Cox Plate Stage Fright
Kavanagh Repeats Game Plan for Tatts Cox Plate
Predatory Pricer to Miss Tatts Cox Plate
Black Piranha Back To Best For Tatts Cox Plate
Jolie's Shinju Back In The Tatts Cox Plate Hunt
Injury ends Maldivian's Cox Plate Run
Speed Gifted Aims for Cox Plate
Betting freeze
Whobegotyou wins Yalumba Again
Manhattan Rain a Definite
Whobegotyou Debuts In World Top 50
Racing To Win Needs Big Form Reversal
Seven Yalumba rivals for Whobegotyou
Tight at the top for Cox Plate
Karakatsanis' Star On The Rise
Speed Gifted a Chance for Cox Plate
Cox Plate Attracts 39 Nominations
Top Mare Facing Heart Test
Efficient Races To Cox Plate
Rangirangdoo Heads To Melbourne
Age No Longer A Fashion Handicap at Moonee Valley
European contingent check out their surrounds
Rawiller Lands Nom Du Jeu Ride
European horses arrive safely in Melbourne
Jolie's Shinju Catches First Glimpse of the Valley
Jolie's Shinju Arrives For Tatts Cox Plate Campaign
Hong Kong Horses To Join Jolie’s Shinju’s Assault On Tatts Cox Plate
Jolie's Trainer Jets Into Australia
Jolie’s Shinju Arrives In Melbourne
Predatory Pricer Headed For Cox Plate
11 Internationals Nominate for Tatts Cox Plate
Vision And Power Primary Target the Tatts Cox Plate
Singapore's Latest Star Tatts Cox Plate Bound
Sir Slick Set to Bring a Ton of Experience to the Tatts Cox Plate
Vision And Power Aiming At Cox Plate
Sarrera Headed To NZ In Journey To Valley
Singapore's champion sprinter Rocket Man is injured and will miss the 2009 Spring Racing Carnival.
Cox Plate dream over for The Hussler
Weekend Hussler Doubtful for Tatts Cox Plate
Maldivian Setting Sights on 2nd Tatts Cox Plate
Weekend Husslers Spring Campaign Includes the Tatts Cox Plate
Collection Headed For Tatts Cox Plate
Chairman's Welcome
Maldivian Wins 2008 Tatts Cox Plate
GLEN BOSS So You Think 1st
I just knew I had it at the half mile. I couldn't believe no one came at it. I couldn't believe it. He just got stronger and stronger. He wobbled a bit around the corner but it just shouldn't happen that you get that far in front.
CRAIG WILLIAMS Manhattan Rain 2nd
He just raced enormous. From the awkward draw, I was so happy for the run I had. Couldn't have asked for a better run throughout. He relaxed good. We had the bunny in front of us but as it turned out, it was like a dog race because the bunny kept going. I thought I was close enough and going as well as him at the top of the straight. The winner put one length then two lengths on me. To my horse's credit when he lost that fight, he still held off all those other challenges. There were some great horses following him. All the praises Gai has been singing about him, we saw why today in the toughest race we have in Australia.
STEVEN ARNOLD Zipping 3rd
He ran super. He came off the bridle a long way out but he really toughed it out to the line.
LUKE NOLEN El Segundo 4th
He out of his skin. We were pretty confident and wanted to see him get some cover today. He ran accordingly. If he comes through this there's no reason why he couldn't go around again next year. The ground bothered him a little bit. He will feel it tomorrow. That was the only thing. The southerly breeze dried the track out. Got firm and the winners seem to be staying on from the front.
SHANE SCRIVEN Scenic Shot 5th
He ran super. It is a bit of a weak excuse using the track. But when he made a dash from the half mile, he probably went a little bit quicker than I wanted. Then when I wanted him to go quick, I really thought he felt the ground. Honest, good tough run like he always does.
DAMIEN OLIVER Whobegotyou 6th
From the widish gate he probably settled back a couple of spots further back than I would have liked. He had his chance but just the strong tempo of the 2000m - a tough testing 2000m today -probably found him out. He had his chance.
CRAIG NEWITT Heart Of Dreams 7th
Disappointing.
NASH RAWILLER Rock Kingdom 8th
My chances were finished at the barrier when he missed it by two. He ran very good. If he had have jumped I think he could have been involved in the finish.
TYE ANGLAND Black Piranha 9th
He was off the bit a long way from home when they quickened.
GLYN SCHOFIELD Road To Rock 10th
The pace was solid. Got even solider half way around. He just couldn't follow them.
HUGH BOWMAN Vision And Power 11th
I'd say the ground was too firm for him but I had a fair idea about that prior to going out. But you can't control that.
DWAYNE DUNN Speed Gifted 12th
He just didn't handle the track at all today. It was a bit too hard for him I think.
MICHAEL RODD Nom De Jeu 13th
Pulled his head off.
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In a performance being hailed as one of the greatest ever, the 82-year-old trainer prepared So You Think to win the $3m Tatts Cox Plate at just his fifth start.
The least experienced runner in Cox Plate history led home a three-year-old quinella with the Gai Waterhouse-trained Manhattan Rain finishing second ahead of last year's runner-up Zipping.
The win came just seven days after Cummings prepared the quinella in the BMW Caulfield Cup with his reigning Emirates Melbourne Cup champion Viewed defeating Roman Emperor.
For the second year running, it was an all-the-way victory in the nation's weight-for-age championship with jockey Glen Boss surprising many by leading on the High Chaparral colt.
To Boss' amazement there was no mid-race pressure in the 2040-metre classic, with Manhattan camping a couple of lengths off him whilst race favourite Whobegotyou was always rearward.
"I knew I had it at the half mile," Boss, who claimed his second Cox Plate, said. "I just can't believe no one came at it. I just couldn't believe it.
"I started to stroll up there, you know roll along, so no one came at me. He just got stronger and stronger, he wobbled around the corner, but it just shouldn't happen that you get that far in front.”
Whilst he had a comfortable trip, the three-year-old colt wasn't loafing, stopping the clock at 2:03.98 which was less than half a second outside Might And Power's 11-year-old track record.
Cummings was typically subdued after the race, but admitted that the win was something special.
“I've had some good ones (horses), it's hard to compare them. They've all been good mates of mine and helped me a great deal, but this ranks as one of the best,” he said.
Cummings, who has now won four Cox Plates, said he was pleased for Boss who had wasted to ride the colt at 49.5kg.
“I was very pleased for Bossy. I encouraged him to ride it. I said don't worry about wasting, I'll buy him a feed afterwards,” he said.
When asked whether his plan was to lead and make advantage of the horse's pull in the weight, Cummings offered a typically dry response.
“When you go to a doctor you don't tell him what to do,” he said. “I don't tell the jockey, he's experienced and I said ‘do what you think is right'.”
The win was soured somewhat for Boss who was later suspended for 10 meetings for causing interference at the winning post on the first occasion, whilst he was also fined $1000 for celebrating before the finish line.
With the suspension starting at midnight tonight, he will be free to resume riding on Emirates Melbourne Cup day.
Of the beaten brigade, Whobegotyou finished sixth and pulled up with soreness in his hindquarters and back, whilst highly rated UK import Speed Gifted failed to fire on the good track and finished 12th.
Second favourite Heart Of Dreams finished seventh and was labelled “disappointing” by jockey Craig Newitt, whilst 2007 winner El Segundo lost few admirers finishing fourth at what was his third Cox Plate appearance.
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The seven-year-old gelding, a model of consistency over the last 12 months, turned in a career best rating last start as his final lead-up to Saturday's grand final.
The seasoned campaigner has raced 52 times for 14 wins and has returned connections an average $35,000 a start. The only time the gelding hasn't weighed in over the last two years was in the 2007 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and two starts back in the Underwood Stakes.
“We feel he deserves his spot,” Morton told Sport 927.
“He's raced very well all year. Obviously up in Brisbane he had a stellar preparation and he wasn't far away in the Australian Cup. We thought that was a great run and his run the other day was the same. He's holding up good and I'm sure he'll show up on Saturday.”
In Brisbane, Scenic Shot won the Doomben Cup, O'Shea Stakes and Brisbane Cup before a short spell.
He has raced three times this spring but his Tatts Cox Plate clincher was his last start effort in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes.
After covering ground throughout and looming up to the lead, he fought on bravely as the swoopers arrived to finish in third place, a length from the winner Efficient.
Morton said Scenic Shot was a dream to train and is not out of place in Saturday's feature race, especially if it comes down to a dogfight.
“He's a remarkable horse. We've probably never put a saddle on a tougher horse. He thrives on racing and really enjoys his work. He's a trainers dream.”
Scenic Shot is currently available at $19.50 on Betfair where the favourite is Whobegotyou at $3.20 ahead of Heart Of Dream at $6.40.
www.racingandsports.com.au
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Oliver, a two-time Cox Plate winner on Northerly (2001) and Dane Ripper (1997), is cautiously optimistic about Whobegotyou's chances after drawing barrier 10 in the capacity 14-horse field for the big race.
"I've had a lot of rides in the Cox Plate and I know what is required,'' Oliver said after Moonee Valley's Breakfast With The Best trackwork session.
"But I'm not getting ahead of myself, he's not over the line.
"There are still 13 others to beat.''
It is often said the Cox Plate is usually won by the best horse, but the records of race favourites in recent years is hardly flattering.
Over the last decade, only three favourites have won: the champions Sunline (2000), Northerly (2002) and Makybe Diva (2005).
Whobegotyou's trainer Mark Kavanagh said he refused to get too confident about the race.
"I'm very wary because I've had short-priced favourites in big races before and they haven't arrived. I've had some real letdowns,'' he said.
Whobegotyou retains Tatts Cox Plate favouritism at $2.40 with TAB Fixed Odds although main rival Heart Of Dreams has firmed into $7.
The pair have clashed five times previously with Whobegotyou holding a 3-2 advantage.
At least Kavanagh and Oliver know Whobegotyou is a specialist at the tricky Moonee Valley course where he has had four previous starts for four easy wins - all by margins of a length or more.
At Whobegotyou's second career start, he romped home in a juvenile race at the track in June last year (Heart Of Dreams ran third) before returning in the spring to score runaway wins in the Bill Stutt Stakes and AAMI Vase.
Whobegotyou went back to his favourite racetrack last month and regained winning form in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes.
"Moonee Valley is really one of those horses-for-courses kind of tracks,'' Oliver said.
"The horse is in great form this campaign and the added bonus is his great record at Moonee Valley.
"He seems to grow a leg here.
"He is comfortable here.''
Oliver said Whobegotyou's liking for Moonee Valley reminded him of recent Cox Plate champions Fields Of Omagh (2003, 2006) and El Segundo (2007).
"Fields Of Omagh was a classic - he was a good two or three-lengths better horse at Moonee Valley,'' he said. "El Segundo, don't leave him out. He is another who improves out of sight at the track.''
Oliver wasn't concerned when Whobegotyou drew wide in barrier 10 - a starting position that hasn't yielded the big-race winner since Bonecrusher (1986).
"Whobegotyou races in the second half of the field so it gives me a few more options out there,'' Oliver said.
Jockey Craig Newitt believes the barrier draw - with Heart Of Dreams to start from gate three - favours his horse.
"The barrier means Heart Of Dreams should get it a little easier in the run, won't get too far back and hopefully get the luck at the right time,'' Newitt said.
"I don't think there is much between Heart Of Dreams and Whobegotyou.
"With Sir Slick in the field and drawn out there (11) with Manhattan Rain (14), it puts the pace into the race. It will be a genuinely run race and every horse will get its chance.''
www.foxsports.com.au
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The Moonee Valley Racing Club committee had no issue about the Group Three Gloaming Stakes winner being worthy of a run in the $3 million race which has attracted a full field of 14.
So You Think, to be ridden by Glen Boss at a luxury weight of 49.5kg, was confirmed a starter when Chris Waller decided not to pay up with Rangirangdoo.
The son of 2002 English Derby winner High Chaparral will be having only his fifth start in the 2040m feature.
Cummings was satisfied with So You Think's work on the outside of stablemate and VRC Oaks contender Faint Perfume although he was beaten by the filly in his workout at the Valley on Tuesday morning.
"It wasn't too bad, he's a big, gangly, leggy colt. He struggled around the turn a little bit but once he balanced up in the straight he ran the last (400 metre) sectional in 24 and a fraction. It was okay," Cummings said.
Cummings was happy when So You Think was the fifth horse called out at Tuesday's barrier draw and selected gate seven himself.
At that stage barriers four (Vision And Power), three (Heart Of Dreams), five (Nom Du Jeu) and six (Scenic Shot) had been taken, in that order.
"You've got to be in it to win it and at this stage he's still on a learning curve and I didn't want him to be on the outside of the field because I really believe the horses on his outside will help him to get around the small, tight track at Moonee Valley," Cummings said.
"Today he was on the outside and the markers were out a long way, as far as they could possibly put them.
"So the horse being here for the first time, it's a big ask for him to be kosher on it."
Cummings won his first Cox Plate 36 years ago with three-year-old colt Taj Rossi and more recently with four-year-olds Saintly (1996) and Dane Ripper (1997).
Cummings said he didn't rate So You Think up with a horse such as Taj Rossi.
"He's promising at this stage, but he'll have to do everything right to run in the placings," Cummings said.
So You Think is one of two three-year-olds in the field this year along with the Gai Waterhouse-trained colt Manhattan Rain.
"They've done it before, Rogie's (Graeme Rogerson) three-year-old (Savabeel) did it (in 2004). If they are good enough they can do it," Cummings said.
"His closing sectionals were equal to the winner. He lost any chance he may have had at the barrier. He lost 10 lengths in the first 50 yards because he had a tongue tie on and he resented it so I've taken it off. Hopefully that'll do the trick," Cummings said.
"Overall I don't think the Tatts Cox Plate is as strong as in previous years.
"This horse (So You Think) hasn't reached his top at this stage but he shows great potential and if he keeps on improving he could be in with a chance."
Gai Waterhouse-trained three-year-old Manhattan Rain will start from the outside gate (14) while her $130,000 late entry Rock Kingdom drew barrier nine.
Nick Williams, part-owner of 2008 runner-up Zipping (barrier 2), said if the track came up hard he would struggle, but, if it is not, he'll be in the finish.
The 2007 winner El Segundo drew gate 13 while the presence of veteran Kiwi Sir Slick ensures pace from barrier 11.
The Melbourne Cup-bound Speed Gifted, likened to champion Doriemus by trainer Lee Freedman, is into $9 from $13 since the weekend.
www.brisbanetimes.com.au
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The Mark Kavanagh-trained gelding remains the $2.60 favourite with betstar after Tuesday's barrier draw for the 2040m Tatts Cox Plate, ahead of Mick Price's hope Heart Of Dreams.
Heart Of Dreams has firmed to outright second at $7.50, after drawing gate three in the weight for age championship.
Rivals will be hoping the pattern against the most fancied runners continues. But Price believes his main stumbling block is not a false price.
"The biggest thing for me is that Whobegotyou is four from four at the track," Price told The Australian. "And when we beat him in the Underwood Stakes (two starts ago) I believe he was vulnerable because he was on a short seven-day back-up and up in distance. He's the one that Heart Of Dreams has to get over."
After five meetings, Whobegotyou leads 3-2. Heart Of Dreams defeated Whobegotyou in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) last month at Caulfield, but the Mark Kavanagh-trained gelding avenged that loss in the Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield 10 days ago.
Price said Whobegotyou is the yardstick but he could not be happier with Heart Of Dreams.
"I know there's a big gap in their prices this weekend, but I don't think there's been much between them as per their race performances.'' Price said
Whobegotyou is a winner of seven of his 18 starts, including a last-start win over Heart Of Dreams in the Group I Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield last Saturday week.
Last year the Kavanagh-trained Maldivian led throughout as an $11 chance. Samantha Miss, the easing $4.60 favourite and subsequent VRC Crown Oaks winner, finished third, while the other fancied runner, Princess Coup ($4.80) struggled to be ninth.
Champion mare Miss Finland was the $4 favourite in the 2007 edition of the race, but could only manage fourth after being given a perfect ride by Craig Williams.
Two years ago El Segundo (7-1) was a deserved winner after being beaten in a photo finish for first place a year earlier by $19 chance Fields Of Omagh.
In Fields Of Omagh's second Cox Plate win, the $3.80 favourite was Sydney galloper Racing To Win, but he played no meaningful part and beat just one runner home after being trapped three wide on the tight circuit.
www.theaustralian.news.com.au
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New Zealand galloper Sir Slick may prove a significant player in Saturday's Group 1 Tatts Cox Plate.
Not that many give the Kiwi much of a chance, with bookmakers installing Sir Slick the $151.00 rank outsider.
But his early speed could ensure the genuine pace needed to see many of the top fancies, including favourite Whobegtoyou, at their best with a big finish.
The late nomination of Rock Kingdom had put Sir Slick's place in the field in doubt, but connections of Rangirangdoo withdrew their horse after he galloped unkindly at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning.
Sir Slick, to be ridden by Michelle Payne, selected barrier 11 in the 14-horse field.
Another “go-forward” horse, three-year-old Manhattan Rain, drew the outside gate of barrier 14.
Just three horses – Better Loosen Up, Solvit and Sunline – have been able to win from a double digit draws in the last 20 years but Manhattan Rain's jockey Craig Williams looks on the bright side.
“The positive is we've drawn outside Sir Slick so I might be able to follow him across to the front,” Williams told media.
“I've won the race on a nine-year-old in Fields Of Omagh and it would be great to do it at the other end of the scale on Manhattan Rain.”
Following the draw markets reacted with Manhattan Rain, easing his price from $15 to $16.
Fellow three-year-old So You Think shortened a point to $14 after drawing barrier 7.
Whobegotyou, despite drawing awkwardly in barrier 10, remained steady at $2.40 while Heart Of Dreams, after drawing barrier three, firmed to second favourite at $7.00.
Speed Gifted drifted from $7.50 to $9.00 after drawing gate 12.
www.racingandsports.com.au
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Trainer Chris Waller has decided to miss Saturday's Tatts Cox Plate with honest galloper Rangirangdoo after his performance at Breakfast With The Best on Tuesday.
The in-form galloper, winner of the Tramway Stakes before narrow losses in the Shannon Stakes and Epsom Handicap, was one of the early workers at the Breakfast With The Best, but was all at sea around the tight corners in the anti-clockwise direction.
He even dumped jockey Corey Brown after finishing his work. Brown was uninjured.
On the work Waller has decided not to press ahead to the Cox Plate over 2040m, instead sticking to the shorter distance of the Group 2 Crystal Mile.
Rangirangdoo has never started in the Melbourne direction and never raced beyond a mile.
www.racingandsports.com.au
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The Mark Kavanagh trained, Whobegotyou, drew barrier number 10 in the weight-for-age championship, to be ridden by dual Cox Plate winning jockey Damien Oliver.
El Segundo, winner of the 2007 Tatts Cox Plate, will start from barrier 13, as he contests the race once again.
Connections of the favoured Heart of Dreams, trained by Mick Price, drew barrier 3.
Following the declaration of the final field this morning, connections of all entrants were once again challenged by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to select their own barriers.
This new system was introduced with great success in 2008 for the Tatts Cox Plate.
The Chief Stipendiary Steward, Mr Terry Bailey drew a marble representing each horse’s saddlecloth number from a barrel, and connections were then invited on stage to select a barrier stall from which their horse would begin the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate.
The first horse drawn was Vision and Power, trained by Joe Pride, whose connections selected barrier 4.
In order of saddlecloth, the Tatts Cox Plate barrier line up will be:
El Segundo (13)
Zipping (2)
Vision and Power (4)
Nom Du Jeu (5)
Scenic Shot (6)
Black Piranha (8)
Sir Slick (11)
Road to Rock (1)
Speed Gifted (12)
Whobegotyou (10)
Heart of Dreams (3)
Rock Kingdom (9)
Manhattan Rain (14)
So You Think (7)
A total of 12 individual Group 1 winners will line up in this Saturday’s Tatts Cox Plate.
The 14 horses have won a total of 82 black-type races between them, with combined winning stakes of $21,330,334. Eight of the horses are ‘equine millionaires’.
The Tatts Cox Plate is scheduled at 4:30pm as race 8 on the 9-race card this Saturday.
Last minute bookings for Tatts Cox Plate can be made by calling 1300 7979 59.
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Betting shops around Australia, headed by TAB Fixed Odds, have reported a flood of money for the Freedman-trained import.
TAB Fixed Odds took a $10,000 bet at $9 on Speed Gifted late yesterday then slashed his odds to $7.50. But Freedman said he was cautiously optimistic about Speed Gifted's chances of winning the Tatts Cox Plate.
"I'm not fooling myself into getting too confident because he's not proven at weight-for-age yet,'' he told The Daily Telegraph.
"I think he'll run well, but I couldn't give a strong leg-up to say I think he'll win because he hasn't got the weight-for-age form to back it up.''
But Freedman does think Speed Gifted has two qualities necessary for a Tatts Cox Plate winner.
"I guess it's true (he's got a good turn of speed) and the good thing about the Tatts Cox Plate is that you need a horse to hit the line strongly at the end of the 2040m and with his 2400m form that won't be an issue,'' he said.
Freedman is content he made the right decision skipping last Saturday's BMW Caulfield Cup to go to the Tatts Cox Plate.
www.dailytelegraph.com.au
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The Moonee Valley Racing Club is facing a tough decision in selecting the field for Saturday's $3 million Tatts Cox Plate (2,040 metres).
The connections of the Gai Waterhouse-trained Rock Kingdom paid a late entry fee on Monday, meaning there are 15 paid-up acceptors for the 14-horse race.
Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter says the final field will be confirmed on Tuesday morning after race organisers have considered the merits of each horse.
The Bart Cummings-trained three-year-old So You Think is facing possible exclusion because it has not won above Group Three level.
"Potentially, we are now challenged with more than a maximum field. There hasn't been a ballot in the Cox Plate since 1995," Carpenter told ABC Sport.
"We're looking at 15 horses tomorrow and only 14 can run. Ultimately it will be the committee who will make the final decision as to what the field make up is and what horses get in and those that don't."
Carpenter says So You Think is a horse of great potential and would not be out of place in the final line up.
"He's shown a tremendous progression in his last three starts. His international rating has gone from 100 to 107, and in my view I believe he would be a worthy runner in the Cox Plate.
"I'm not saying, however, that he should be elevated above other horses that also have strong claims, but I wouldn't be recommending that he be excluded from the race because he is not up to the job."
Earlier Monday, Carpenter gave Viewed a one-kilogram penalty for its Caulfield Cup win, making it the joint Melbourne Cup top weight with Efficient at 58 kilograms.
www.abc.net.au
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Epsom Handicap winner Rock Kingdom has joined the Tatts Cox Plate party after trainer Gai Waterhouse decided to pay a $130,000 late entry fee to put the four-year-old into Saturday's $3 million event at Moonee Valley.
Waterhouse, striving for her first Cox Plate victory after recording just two minor placings since she began training 16 years ago, will also start the three-year-old Manhattan Rain with both horses going to Moonee Valley on Tuesday for important track gallops.
Craig Williams is booked to ride Manhattan Rain while Nash Rawiller is expected to take the mount on Rock Kingdom.
The Tatts Cox Plate field hinges on Tuesday's star-studded trackwork session when 11 entries will be put through their paces.
The only leading contenders missing will be Tatts Cox Plate favourite Whobegotyou, Black Piranha and last year's runner-up Zipping.
The Tatts Cox Plate entries listed to gallop at Moonee Valley’s Breakfast with the Best between 6am and 7.30am, are Heart of Dreams, El Segundo, Speed Gifted, Rangirangdoo, Nom Du Jeu, Manhattan Rain, Rock Kingdom, Road to Rock, So You Think, Scenic Shot and Onemorenomore.
With Predatory Pricer ruled out by injury there seems no reason for the Bart Cummings-trained three-year-old So You Think to be excluded from the final field that is unlikely to reach the maximum of 14 horses.
He is not a Group One winner but that criteria should not be held against him as he boasts a Group 3 win in the Gloaming Stakes from just four starts and was fifth in the G1 Caulfield Guineas at his latest start.
His claims are comparable to the five-year-old Rangirangdoo from the Chris Waller stable.
Rangirangdoo is also a Group 3 winner of the Tramway Handicap and comes off a last start second to Rock Kingdom in the Group One Epsom Handicap, a race with a strong history as a foundation for Tatts Cox Plate runners.
Waller remains undecided if he will declare Rangirangdoo as a final acceptor or lower his sights and run him in Saturday's Group 2 Crystal Mile on the Moonee Valley program.
He will make the call after Tuesday's workout at Moonee Valley when he will apply blinkers to the gelding in a bid to give him more confidence.
Rangirangdoo has shown a worrying reluctance to overtake the leader at his last two starts when runner-up in the Shannon Stakes at Rosehill and the Epsom at Randwick when he was worried out of the race by Rock Kingdom.
The evergreen Kiwi gelding Sir Slick has arrived in Melbourne looking for a Tatts Cox Plate start but he may not be included in a hand-picked final field despite his record of six Group One wins.
www.racingandsports.com.au
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The MVRC will be conducting the Barrier Draw for the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate following the final declarations at 8:30am on Tuesday 20th October 2009. The final declaration fee for the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate is $24,750.
Barrier Draw
At 8:30am, the MVRC Committee will meet to review the final acceptances for the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate.
At approximately 8:50am, MVRC Chairman Bob Scarborough will read out the final field for the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate.
The Nominated Representatives for each of the runners in the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate will be lined up alongside the stage in preparation for the Barrier Draw.
At approximately 8:52am, the Chairman of Stewards, Mr Terry Bailey, will place a ball, marked with a number that corresponds with the saddlecloth number, for each runner into a barrel.
Mr Bailey will select one ball at a time, and the Nominated Representative of the horse whose saddlecloth number is drawn, will be invited on stage to select their barrier for the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate. To select their barrier, the Nominated Representative will affix their race silks to their selected barrier.
Mr Bailey will repeat this process until all barriers have been selected.
If the event that the Nominated Representative for a horse is not present for the Barrier Draw selection process, their horse will be allocated the lowest remaining barrier number when their ball is drawn from the barrel.
In the event that there are emergencies in the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate, the Nominated Representative will participate in the Barrier Draw and have the same opportunity to select a barrier. If emergencies do not obtain a start (or there are scratchings) then all positions outside of the non-runners barrier will move in, as is normal practice in Victoria.
5:30am - Open to the media and public
6:00-8:30am, Moonee Valley trackwork
8.30am Tatts Cox Plate Barrier Draw
Followed by guest panellists.
The Barrier Draw for the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate will conclude at approximately 8:58am.
Media may park in the Members’ Car Park at Moonee Valley, Gate 1 McPherson Street, Moonee Ponds.
**Please note – there will be a clean generic pool feed of track work and the Barrier Draw that will go from 6am until 9:30am and is available via split from Sky. Please contact Sky for further information on 02 9452 8448.
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The Tatts Cox Plate could have a full field of 14 for the first time since Makybe Diva won the race in 2005.
A ring-around indicated there would be 14 acceptors for Saturday's $3 million Cox Plate (2040m).
Unless there is a surprise acceptor, the main point of debate for the Moonee Valley Racing Club committee will be to exclude any runner on the grounds they are deemed not worthy of a start.
The horse most at risk would be New Zealand eight-year-old Sir Slick.
Despite winning six Group 1 races, his Melbourne spring form last year was lamentable.
The committee has sole discretion over the composition of the field but its benchmark is the rating of each runner.
Sir Slick's 112 rating is above Rangirangdoo on 109 and So You Think on 107 but they have superior current form.
Racing Victoria handicapper Greg Carpenter also will be asked for his opinion.
Carpenter said last-start Group 1 winner Speed Gifted, the $8.50 third favourite with TAB Sportsbet, was assured of a start despite his modest 111 rating.
Rangirangdoo is a last-start Epsom Handicap second and the Bart Cummings-trained So You Think a Group 3 Gloaming Stakes winner two starts back. Both seem sure to get the nod.
Which leaves $301 longshot Sir Slick. With 104 starts under his belt, the natural front-runner would ensure a truly run race.
Sir Slick was scheduled to arrive in Melbourne last night and will be stabled at Mornington.
Owner-trainer Graeme Nicholson said Sir Slick had a hind leg injury last spring and warranted a run on his record.
Sir Slick is known for his toughness and will be in action on three successive Saturdays - in the Tatts Cox Plate or Crystal Mile, Mackinnon Stakes and the Emirates Stakes.
"He's been working so well at home we had to come. He struck a dodgy track at Matamata last start." Nicholson said.
South Australian trainer Dennis O'Leary had intended to accept with Magical Pearl but the gelding will now be set for the Crystal Mile.
Owner Lloyd Williams ruled out a change of plans for joint Melbourne Cup Efficient to run in the Tatts Cox Plate.
"There's no point running because he couldn't win it. He'll go straight into the Cup," he said.
Williams will rely on last year's Cox Plate runner-up Zipping.
Gai Waterhouse-trained Manhattan Rain and So You Think will boost the three- year-old presence. Trainer Tony Vasil toyed with paying a late-entry fee for Carrara but he will run against his own age in the AAMI Vase.
Samantha Miss, who ran third last year, is the last three-year-old to run a place in the Cox Plate since Savabeel won in 2004.
www.news.com.au/adelaidenow
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Tuesday 20th October
10 of this year’s Tatts Cox Plate contenders including Heart of Dreams, El Segundo, Speed Gifted, Rangirangdoo, Nom Du Jeu, Manhattan Rain, Road to Rock, So You Think, Scenic Shot, Onemorenomore will appear at Moonee Valley’s Breakfast with the Best track gallops this Tuesday morning in preparation for the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate.
Breakfast with the Best track gallops commence at 6am and conclude at 8:30am followed by the Radio Sport 927 Barrier Draw Breakfast in the Celebrity Room at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
As well as the all important barrier draw for the Tatts Cox Plate, guests can enjoy a full buffet breakfast as industry experts run through the chances of each contender.
5:30am - Open to the media and public
6:00-8:30am, Moonee Valley trackwork
Saddlecloth |
Horse |
Trainer |
Jockey |
Race |
Stall |
6am |
1 |
Dusty Star |
Peter Morgan |
Blake Shinn |
2YO |
42 |
|
2 |
Jill's Angel |
Peter Morgan |
Reece Wheeler |
2YO |
43 |
|
3 |
Heart of Dreams |
Mick Price |
Craig Newitt |
Cox Plate |
44 |
|
4 |
Light Fantastic |
Mick Price |
|
Moir |
45 |
|
5 |
El Segundo |
Colin Little |
Luke Nolen |
Cox Plate |
46 |
|
6 |
Rangirangdoo |
Chris Waller |
|
Cox Plate |
47 |
|
7 |
Danleigh |
Chris Waller |
|
Moir |
48 |
|
8 |
Nom Du Jeu |
Bjorn & Murray Baker |
|
Cox Plate |
49 |
|
9 |
Indulgent |
Robert Smerdon |
Nicholas Hall |
2YO |
1 |
6.30am |
|
Partner |
Robert Smerdon |
|
|
2 |
|
10 |
Lady Lynette |
Robert Smerdon |
Nicholas Hall |
Tesio |
3 |
|
11 |
Lucky Secret |
Tony Vasil |
Tony Vasil |
Moir |
4 |
|
12 |
Maxisun |
Tony Vasil |
Tony Vasil |
Mile |
5 |
|
13 |
Carrara |
Tony Vasil |
Tony Vasil |
Vase |
6 |
|
14 |
Bank Robber |
Gai Waterhouse |
Blake Shinn |
Moir |
13 |
|
15 |
Rock Kingdom |
Gai Waterhouse |
Nash Rawiller |
Mile |
14 |
|
16 |
Manhattan Rain |
Gai Waterhouse |
Blake Shinn |
Cox Plate |
15 |
|
17 |
Viking Legend |
Gai Waterhouse |
Nash Rawiller |
Vase |
16 |
|
1 |
Road to Rock |
Anthony Cummings |
|
Cox Plate |
23 |
7am |
2 |
Duporth |
Anthony Cummings |
|
Moir |
24 |
|
3 |
Miss Darcey |
Anthony Cummings |
|
Cup |
25 |
|
4 |
Merger Benefits |
Anthony Cummings |
|
2YO |
26 |
|
5 |
Prima Nova |
Anthony Cummings |
|
Tesio |
27 |
|
6 |
So You Think |
Bart Cummings |
Glen Boss |
Cox Plate |
7 |
|
7 |
Faint Perfume |
Bart Cummings |
Michael Rodd |
Alex |
8 |
|
8 |
Think Money |
Bart Cummings |
Joe Agresta |
Cup |
9 |
|
9 |
Naval Escort |
Bart Cummings |
Joe Agresta |
Cup |
10 |
|
10 |
Dandaad |
Bart Cummings |
Joe Agresta |
Cup |
11 |
|
11 |
Joe Blow |
Bart Cummings |
Joe Agresta |
Cup |
12 |
|
12 |
Scenic Shot |
Dan Morton |
|
Cox Plate |
28 |
7.30am |
13 |
Onemorenomore |
John Thompson |
Glen Boss |
Cox Plate |
29 |
|
14 |
Marquardt |
John Thompson |
Hugh Bowman |
RA |
30 |
|
15 |
Speed Gifted |
Lee Freedman |
Dwayne Dunn |
Cox Plate |
50 |
|
|
partner |
Lee Freedman |
|
|
51 |
|
16 |
Soliciting |
John Wheeler |
Michael Rodd |
2YO |
31 |
|
17 |
Ortensia |
Tony Noonan |
Craig Williams |
Moir |
32 |
|
18 |
Jacqueline Rouge |
Tony Noonan |
Blake Shinn |
Tesio |
33 |
|
19 |
Soul Diva |
Tony Noonan |
Craig Williams |
Tesio |
34 |
Conditions:-
- Float Park opens at 5:00am
- Gallops commence 6am
- Gallops conclude 8am
- Stappers must be RVL accredited Stablehands
- Riders must be jockeys or RVL accredited Trackwork riders
- Riders must wear raceday silks for each horse
- Horses must be on-track at least 30 minutes prior to their scheduled time
- Horses will be required to assemble in the Mounting Yard 10 minutes prior to the schedule
- Horses will wear MVRC saddlecloths while parading in Mounting Yard & on Course proper
- MVRC will issue a tie-up stall allocation for each horse
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Cummings, who quinellaed the Caulfield Cup with Viewed and Roman Emperor, has big-race jockey Glen Boss sweating to get down to the light weight to ride So You Think in what is regarded as the premier weight-for-age championship of Australasia.
A winner of the Gloaming Stakes in Sydney, So You Think hit the line well to be just behind the placings in his only group 1 start in the Caulfield Guineas.
Cummings believes his charge will secure a start in the Tatts Cox Plate despite the possibility of more than 14 horses, which is the field limit, being paid up at acceptance time Tuesday morning.
''I think he should get a run,'' Cummings told the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday. ''He had no chance on that track at Caulfield in the guineas when they were winning on the fence and from in front.
''He's worked well since and he'll go [to Moonee Valley] on Tuesday so they can all have a good look at him.''
Cummings said So You Think was an ideal three-year-old to take on the race and join Savabeel (2004) and Octagonal (1995) as recent winners of the race in that age bracket.
''He's big and strong and has no weight,'' he said. ''Glen Boss thinks he can win it. He's wasting now to get down to his weight [49.5 kilograms].''
So You Think could be one of two three-year-olds to run in the Tatts Cox Plate, with the Gai Waterhouse-trained Manhattan Rain, third in the Caulfield Guineas, also poised to be an acceptor tomorrow, with Craig Williams to take the ride.
The Tony Vasil-trained Caulfield Guineas runner-up Carrara, however, will miss the Tatts Cox Plate even though owner Frank Tagg was willing to pay for a start.
''I had discussions with Tony on Friday night and told him I was willing to pay the fee but he said he felt the horse lacked seasoning,'' Tagg said. ''Tony knows the horse so well that we were happy to take his advice, and we'll go for the AAMI Vase [also on Saturday] instead.''
So You Think is part-owned by Cummings's long-term stable client Dato Tan Chin Nam, who also races Viewed, which will now chase a second straight Melbourne Cup win following his Caulfield triumph.
Cummings also has the VRC Oaks-bound filly Faint Perfume for Dato Tan Chin Nam, who could end up having an extremely lucrative spring carnival.
www.smh.com.au
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Former bull-riding hoop Tye Angland won't be overawed at Moonee Valley on Black Piranha, at Saturday’s weight-for-age race.
Angland is going to enjoy the Tatts Cox Plate ride. The one-time national junior bull-riding champion goes into Australasian racing's heavyweight title a greenhorn intent on success.
''It is the chance of a lifetime, so I may as well get everything out of it,'' Angland said in the midst of a winning double at Randwick on Saturday. ''You've got the Doncaster and Golden Slipper in Sydney, and it is the two cups and the Cox Plate down there. It is gold.''
The 20-year-old Angland teams up with another young tyro in trainer Con Karakatsanis, who at just 24 has turned a one-time mid-weeker named Black Piranha into a heavyweight contender.
Last autumn, Karakatsanis, Angland and Black Piranha went within noses of carting off the prized George Ryder-Doncaster Handicap double in Sydney.
The trio ventured north and returned with the group 1 Stradbroke Handicap. Now for the Tatts Cox Plate at start No.4 for this preparation. A campaign meticulously planned.
''Last start I thought I had him nearly cherry ripe,'' Karakatsanis said after News Alert carted off the Tatt's Lightning at Randwick on Saturday.
''I was a long way off. Everything he has done since, he has grown another leg, to be honest.''
The trainer was ''rapt how the horse has gone about it''. ''He can only improve having had the one run the Melbourne way … I wouldn't swap my horse or jockey for anything else in the race.''
Angland knows the role Karakatsanis has played in his rejuvenation as a jockey - the kid who arrived on the scene with a bang. ''Everything has happened so quick,'' Angland says. ''My first full year I did I won the Sydney apprentices premiership.''
Angland was spotted by former jockey Glen Frazer. ''I was playing polocrosse for NSW with Glen's son Troy,'' Angland said. ''Troy's uncle is the racehorse trainer Garry Frazer.
Angland has no doubt bull riding played a role in his rapid rise through the riding ranks. ''I got a lot of balance from it,'' he said. ''I'm not frightened either. I'm pretty relaxed on horses. I've always ridden horses and done rodeos but the first time I got on a racehorse was in 2005.''
Among those behind the scenes were Karakatsanis and fellow Rosehill trainer Tim Martin.
''It would be a good result to get the Cox Plate for everyone, they've put in so much.''
The hard work isn't over. Far from it, for Angland is a Tatts Cox Plate debutant. ''I've got the week off [suspended]. It is a chance of a lifetime to go down there and do it all,'' he said. ''I'm staying down there for the week. I'm going to ride him [Black Piranha] each morning. We'll go over to Moonee Valley to work him on Tuesday morning; you've got the barrier draw.
''I'm going to do the form down there, go in open-minded, talk to a few jockeys about the race. I'll take it all in on raceday, sit in the corner and listen to what everyone has to say.''
Motivation is no problem for Angland, who has the utmost faith in Black Piranha. It is up to him.
''I'm going to keep my head screwed on,'' he said. ''It is exciting. I'm on a chance in the Cox Plate, I'll be doing my best.''
www.bloodstock.com.au
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Trainer Mark Kavanagh says raging favourite Whobegotyou will not see Moonee Valley again before the Tatts Cox Plate.
Kavanagh said he had no reason to gallop Whobegotyou at Tuesday's Breakfast with the Best at Moonee Valley, and would stick to a normal routine with the four-year-old at Flemington.
"I am not changing anything," Kavanagh said.
"I will continue with my normal preparation with the horse and nothing will get us to waver from that."
Last year Kavanagh used the same game plan with Maldivian who avoided the hype of the Moonee Valley gallops before winning the Tatts Cox Plate.
Whobegotyou could have run in last year's Tatts Cox Plate after romping home in the Caulfield Guineas but Kavanagh backed his belief that it was in the horse's best interests to wait a year.
"I have no reservations about not running him a year ago," Kavanagh said.
"Nobody knows what could or should have happened had he run but at the end the day we are here where he is favourite for this year's race and he's fit and well."
Kavanagh was hoping that Maldivian would again be lining up as well before a tendon injury suffered last week ended his career.
But Kavanagh is not one for looking back.
"I don't own a rear vision mirror and I don't look in one," Kavanagh said.
Kavanagh has a positive but realistic focus every week, mindful that it is all part of the game that a campaign can be derailed on any day for any number of reasons.
"There is no sense getting excited about big days until they happen," Kavanagh said.
"Anticipation is a beautiful feeling but it can lead to disappointment so we just do what we have got to do.
Whobegotyou dominates Tatts Cox Plate markets and with TAB Sportsbet is $2.40 ahead of Heart Of Dreams ($7.50), Speed Gifted ($8.50) and 2007 winner El Segundo ($10).
www.bloodstock.com.au
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Unplaced Caulfield Cup favourite Predatory Pricer is injured and will miss Saturday's $3 million Tatts Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
Trainer Paul Murray had the four-year-old examined by a vet at his Ballarat stables and a suspensory ligament problem was detected, the diagnosis signalling an immediate end to his spring campaign.
Murray will have the offside foreleg scanned to ascertain the depth of the injury. The prognosis is for three to six months in the spelling paddock depending on the grading of the damage.
Predatory Pricer started the $7 favourite in the Caulfield Cup and finished 12th after being trapped four wide from his bad barrier. It was a disappointing note for the Liston Stakes winner's campaign to end on.
Kiwi mare Daffodil had swelling in the off foreleg where she received a cut while running a gallant fourth in the Caulfield Cup.
Trainer Kevin Gray said her leg "blew up" below the knee, but had settled down after being treated. The mare was not lame and Gray said she would continue toward the $5.5 million Melbourne Cup on November 3.
www.theaustralian.news.com.au
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Black Piranha has astounded trainer Con Karakatsanis with the improvement he's made at his Melbourne base ahead of Saturday's Tatts Cox Plate.
The Stradbroke Handicap winner has done brilliantly since his first race in Victoria, the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield on October 10, where the swooper was sixth to Allez Wonder.
"He's a completely different horse to what he was last week before the Toorak," Karakatsanis said.
"I thought I had him just about right but comparing him to this week, it's totally different, he's pulled up great and thriving and I honestly couldn't believe the difference a run and a week has done to him.
"He's improved two or three lengths even in his work, so I can't wait to get him to the races.
"It's taken him just that little bit extra to settle in, and now he has, his work has been great."
Karakatsanis said the track at Caulfield did not play in Black Piranha's favour and he thought the run had plenty of merit.
"The place you didn't want to be was where he was which was second and third last the fence, it was always going to be hard for him on a track that was better for the on-pace runners," Karakatsanis said.
"He had a lovely run through to the 500 metres but Tye (Angland) had to grab hold of him and wait and wait and by then they'd skipped on the corner by the time he got going again.
"But he only got beaten a length and he was giving them eight lengths at the corner, it was a very good effort."
The Rosehill trainer has enjoyed an amazing ride with Black Piranha and said the enormity of his next assignment was just starting to sink in.
"The atmosphere was great for the Toorak but it's really starting to kick in now that we're heading to the Cox Plate, it really is starting to feel special.
"We've got the right horse and a jockey in very good form, so I can't wait."
Angland is also keen to get to Moonee Valley for Breakfast with the Best track gallops.
"I'll be there on Tuesday to ride him in a gallop and even that's going to be great," Angland said.
"It's a big honour to be able to ride in the Cox Plate and I want to make the most of the opportunity and I want to take everything in and really enjoy what's going on around me.
Angland, who scored the biggest win of his career in June when he steered Black Piranha home in the Group One Stradbroke, was not surprised the horse was more settled this week.
"To have a ride in the Cox Plate is something special but to ride a genuine contender in the race is something else."
TAB Sportsbet has Black Piranha at $15 for the Cox Plate with Whobegotyou the $2.40 favourite
wwos.ninemsn.com.au
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The Group 1 $3million Tatts Cox Plate over 2040m at Moonee Valley on October 24 could still be a reality for Singapore Derby winner Jolie’s Shinju.
The mare has been under a cloud since finishing second last in the Listed Tatts Group JRA Cup over 2040m at Moonee Valley on September 25 where she was diagnosed as suffering from the thumps and a cardiac irregularity.
Racing Victoria’s chief veterinary surgeon Dr Paul O’Callaghan requested Jolie’s Shinju pass an ECG test before she could race again. Jolie’s Shinju was due to start in last Saturday’s Group 1 Yalumba Stakes over 2000m at Caulfield.
Following trackwork in the lead-up to the Yalumba Stakes, an ECG was performed on the mare which showed some ventricular premature contractions, thus ruling her out of the Yalumba Stakes and at that stage the Tatts Cox Plate.
She galloped on Saturday morning, passing the test for her vet with no signs of distress at her new home at Caulfield.
Hippocrates Stable principle owner Dr Tan Kai Chah said the mare was given the “thumbs up” by Dr Savage. However before racing again Jolie’s Shinju needs a clearance from Dr O’Callaghan who was awaiting a report from Dr Savage.
“It is still up to Racing Victoria to give her the OK before she can race again,” said Dr Tan.
“Jolie’s Shinju was wired up and the clinical echo of her heart was all fine. She was put on the treadmill this morning and her heart rate got up to around 200 beats per minute.
“Hopefully Racing Victoria will give her the all clear to race over 1400m on Saturday. It is not the ideal preparation for the Cox Plate, but hopefully she will come out of it well and can progress to the Cox Plate.”
She has been entered for two races at Caulfield on Saturday in the hope of her then gaining a start in Australia’s premier weight-for-age contest.
She is among the nominations on Saturday for the Group 2 $180,000 Tristarc Stakes over 1400m and the Group 3 $125,000 David Jones Cup over 2000m.
Dr Tan said no decision had been made on who will ride Jolie’s Shinju on Saturday in the Tristarc Stakes – the preferred option – a race restricted to mares and run at set-weights & penalties.
Jolie’s Shinju is currently equal 13th on the order of entry into the Tatts Cox Plate with four other gallopers. The Tatts Cox Plate field is restricted to 14 runners with a further four emergency acceptors.
Should Jolie’s Shinju not make the Tatts Cox Plate field then the mare is likely to head to Perth to contest the Group 1 A$1million Railway Stakes over 1600m at Ascot on November 21.
www.turfclub.com.sg
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The son of Zabeel — a $14 chance for Saturday’s Caulfield Cup and $7 second favourite for next Saturday’s Tatts Cox Plate — suffered a strained tendon today. After a vet’s inspection, it was quickly apparent he would be unable to start this weekend.
‘‘It’s not good but it’s quite repairable,’’ trainer Mark Kavanagh told The Age.
‘‘We’ll just monitor him and we’ll have to wait to see what happens in the next few weeks.’’
Kavanagh had hoped Maldivian could win the race, from which he was scratched in tragic circumstances two years ago.
He was a well-backed $2.40 favourite when he reared in the barriers and suffered a 15-centimetre cut that required 14 stitches — his scratching paving the way for Danny O’Brien’s Master O’Reilly to win the 2400m Group 1.
An outstanding ride by Michael Rodd saw Maldivian bounce back last year to score a brilliant Tatts Cox Plate win - prompting Rodd to again commit himself to the horse for the spring carnival.
As a result, Rodd was forced to forfeit spring engagements on Maldivian's stablemate Whobegotyou - who was this morning tightened in to $2.50 favourite (from $2.70).
The market on the Caulfield Cup is still suspended as bookies work around the scratching of Maldivian and David Hayes import Speed Gifted, who was at the head of markets until this morning.
In further disappointment for Kavanagh, in-form mare Cats Whisker was also lame after trackwork.
‘‘Cats Whisker worked very well on the grass this morning, but was lame on cooling down,’’ Kavanagh said.
‘‘She was x-rayed and it revealed she had chips in both front fetlocks. She also is out for the spring and it will be up to her connections whether she is operated on or retired to the breeding barn.’’
Cats Whisker was due to race in Saturday’s Tristarc Stakes and would have headed to the Group One Myer Classic at her following outing.
‘‘It’s obviously very disappointing to lose both gallopers with injury at this time of the carnival,’’ Kavanagh said.
The Mick Price-trained Gallica is also on the injured list with bone chips and will miss the rest of the spring carnival.
Gallica won the 2008 Thousand Guineas with this year’s renewal to be run on Wednesday.
www.theage.com.au
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Trainer Lee Freedman exclusively told the Herald Sun late last night that Speed Gifted would bypass the BMW Caulfield Cup with a view to running in the Tatts Cox Plate.
Freedman said after discussions with the Irish manager of Speed Gifted it was decided that a Caulfield Cup start would not assist his prospects of winning the $5.5 million Emirates Melbourne Cup.
He said he did not believe Speed Gifted, $5 favourite, would be served by having another 2400m start before the Melbourne Cup on November 3.
"I don't think he needed to back up two weeks after The Metropolitan and running on very bad ground," Freedman said.
"The horse is good, but he lost a bit of weight and it's taken a while to get him to fully recover from that.
"While we thought he would do very well Saturday, even with the soft ground, the fact is we don't think he needs that extra run again over a mile and a half."
Betting markets were thrown into turmoil, with TAB Sportsbet's Craig McDonald predicting it would be $6 the field.
Punters who supported Speed Gifted have done their money cold. The imported stayer has been heavily backed straight out and in doubles. TAB Sportsbet yesterday took a bet of $5000 each-way at $5.
Freedman said Speed Gifted would be entered for the Tatts Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 24, a race which he said he would be "disappointed" if the former UK horse did not gain a start.
He said Speed Gifted was a last-start Group 1 winner who had a genuine winning chance.
Freedman's decision to miss the cup with Speed Gifted means the Melbourne Racing Club committee will have a tough decision to decide the final place in the 18-horse field between Baughurst, Light Vision, Newport and Shocking.
Racing Victoria Ltd handicapper Greg Carpenter, RVL racing operations manager Leigh Jordon and MRC racing manager John Faulkner will forward reports to the committee on their recommended pecking order.
One of the quartet will be included in the field and the other three horses will be ranked in order as the three emergencies.
Other cup betting news yesterday centred on Damien Oliver's mount Cima De Triomphe, who firmed from $11 to $8.50. "We took two bets of $2000 at $11. There has been constant support today," McDonald said.
www.heraldsun.com.au
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Betting on the Tatts Cox Plate was suspended this morning in light of Maldivian's withdrawal and bookmakers took the same action on the Caulfield Cup after Lee Freedman decided to scratch his charge and the race's early favourite, Speed Gifted.
The French-owned Speed Gifted, which won the Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick earlier this month, has been withdrawn after Freedman decided to contest the Tatts Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday week instead.
Sydney galloper Predatory Pricer has assumed favouritism for the Caulfield Cup and its jockey Steven King says it is a tag the horse deserves.
www.abc.net.au
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Mick Price, who trained the runner-up, Heart Of Dreams, felt his horse could make up Saturday’s three-quarter-length deficit by claiming a better position in the Tatts Cox Plate, while Joe Pride said his third placegetter, Vision And Power, could turn the tables if there was a wet track in two weeks.
"We've already beaten Whobegotyou three times on wet tracks and that run today told me that if we can get on to that sort of surface again, we can beat him again," Pride told The Age.
"That was better than I had expected on that surface. I thought if we could get within three or four lengths of them then we'd be right on track as he was a run short of his best and obviously has a huge advantage when he strikes a wet track".
"We'll wait until the Cox Plate to run him now. He's still in the Caulfield Cup but we'll wait and hope there is some rain."
Last autumn, Vision And Power beat Whobegotyou home in the George Ryder Stakes, Doncaster Handicap and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney. Winning trainer Mark Kavanagh said he was pleased Whobegotyou showed he was on track for the Tatts Cox Plate. "That was good. He [Damien Oliver] rode him well and he finished it off just as you would have wanted him to. He's on track."
Vision And Power ran the equivalent final 400-metre sectional of 23.08 seconds as Whobegotyou, while Heart Of Dreams narrowly bettered them both with a 23.05. On the line, Whobegotyou ($2.15 favourite) had three-quarters of a length over Heart Of Dreams ($3.70), with the same margin to Vision And Power ($20), who just nosed out the 2007 Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilly for third place.
Price said Heart Of Dreams' chances were ruined when he went back at the start and trailed the field for much of the journey. "He needed to be where Zarita was [in fourth place]," he said.
"That was the ideal spot in a small weight-for-age field but we gave away any advantage by going back to the tail. There's not enough between them [Heart Of Dreams and Whobegotyou] to give away any advantage. But he made good ground on the winner. He'll [Whobegotyou] be favourite [in the Tatts Cox Plate] and it'll be on again."
Bjorn Baker, co-trainer of last year's Caulfield Cup runner-up Nom Du Jeu, was deflated after his horse over-raced and only beat one home.
"He didn't really settle and maybe the track might have been a touch firm for him but it wasn't what we wanted to see two weeks out [from the Tatts Cox Plate]," he said. "If we can get some rain then that will be on his side."
The 2007 Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilly's run was overshadowed by the efforts of the first three home but he showed trainer Danny O'Brien that he was on track to attempt a second Caulfield Cup next Saturday after his preparation was interrupted by an elevated temperature.
Pat Hyland's mare Zarita enjoyed the run of the race but was one of the first beaten and she is now unlikely to press on to the Tatts Cox Plate and instead be aimed at something weaker.
www.theage.com.au
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Trainer Gai Waterhouse declared Manhattan Rain a definite runner in the Tatts Cox Plate (2040m) after his third to Starspangledbanner in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
And Bart Cummings has left the Tatts Cox Plate door open with his raw, but very exciting colt So You Think.
Waterhouse underlined her intentions by booking Craig Williams to ride Manhattan Rain at 49.5kg.
But Cummings is keeping his options open. "I thought he ran really well in the Guineas after losing it at the start," Cummings said. "I was disappointed he didn't jump away as well as he can.
"He's nominated for the Cox Plate at this stage, but I'll wait a few days and see how he comes through the Guineas."
Cummings then suggested the Moonee Valley Racing Club committee may not consider So You Think worthy of contesting the race. "He won't get in the race, will he?"
Asked whether So You Think had the talent to be a Tatts Cox Plate factor, Cummings said: "He's a little bit inexperienced, but I think he has."
Whobegotyou firmed from $3.80 to $2.80 for the Tatts Cox Plate after his Yalumba Stakes win.
www.heraldsun.com.au
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Reigning Tatts Cox Plate favourite Whobegotyou has been included in the list of the World’s best 50 racehorses in the latest release of the World Thoroughbred Rankings.
The Mark Kavanagh-trained four-year-old has been given a rating of 119 for his win in the Group 1 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam (Feehan) Stakes over 1600m at Moonee Valley on 12 September 2009.
Whobegotyou will run in Saturday’s Group 1 Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield, his last run before going back to Moonee Valley on 24 October in his bid to win the Tatts Cox Plate.
Scenic Blast remains the highest rated Australian-trained horse on 122 from his win in theGroup 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
Australian-bred horses remain the top ranked sprinters in the world with the Hong Kong trained Sacred Kingdom also on 122 ahead of Rocket Man from Singapore on 121.
The other Australian horse in the listings is Joe Janiak’s recently retired sprinting icon Takeover Target on 119.
The World listings are headed by Irish Champion Sea The Stars on 135. The John Oxx trained three-year-old maintained his all conquering form in winning the Pre de L’Arc deTriomph at Longchamp on Sunday.
Source: Racing Victoria Limited
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His poor run was put down to wind and over racing.
The John O'Shea trained gelding, posted an $8.50 Toorak chance, which puts his Tatts Cox Plate credentials on the line in Saturday's Handicap over a mile where he has the topweight with 58.5kg.
Racing to Win has the weights against him as no horse in the last two decades has carried more than 57kg to success. That honour is shared between Roman Arch and Regal Roller who carried 57kg in their 2003 and 2004 wins respectively.
Hugh Bowman has jumped off Raheeb to continue to ride the grey on Saturday where he will jump from barrier 11.
The pre-post favourite in an open race is another Sydney galloper in Black Piranha at $5.50, just ahead of Raffaello at $6.00 and last weekend's Herald Sun Stakes winner Raheeb at $6.50.
Only one horse – the great Tobin Bronze – has won the Toorak/Cox Plate double.
www.racingandsports.com.au
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The Mark Kavanagh-trained gelding has drawn barrier five, immediately outside his last-start Underwood Stakes conqueror Heart Of Dreams.
New Zealander Nom Du Jeu has barrier three and will be out to stake his claims for a Tatts Cox Plate start while dual Group One winner Vision And Power has barrier seven.
Whobegotyou's stablemate Raffaello has come up with the inside gate for the Group One Toorak Handicap, which attracted a full field of 18 runners when acceptances were declared on Wednesday.
Epsom Handicap winner Rock Kingdom was dealt no favours with gate 15, nor was the in-form Gold Salute who has barrier 17.
The Sydney-trained pair of Racing To Win and Black drew 11 and nine respectively with Rupert Clarke runner-up Stickpin to jump from the outside barrier.
www.bloodstock.com.au
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For the first time since 1995, emergencies are likely to be included in this spring's Tatts Cox Plate as Australia's best horses remain in the chase for the iconic $3 million race.
Only once in the past 14 years - 2005 - has a full field faced the starter for the thrilling weight-for-age battle.
The MVRC committee uses the international ratings as its guide when hand-picking the final Tatts Cox Plate line-up, so the results of Saturday's group 1 races - the Caulfield Guineas, Yalumba Stakes and Toorak Handicap - will be crucial in determining the final Cox Plate line-up.
Of the 39 horses paid up for at Tuesday's third declarations for the Cox Plate, 23 carry an international rating of between 118-114. But the ratings will be adjusted according to most recent performances when the final payment for the Tatts Cox Plate falls due on October 20.
To make the fight for a spot even tighter for some contenders, both the Caulfield Guineas winner and the Yalumba Stakes winner on Saturday will join Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes winner Whobegotyou, and AJC Derby winner Roman Emperor as exempt from the Tatts Cox Plate ballot.
Guineas favourite Denman will not start in the Tatts Cox Plate but there are six other three-year-olds still in the running.
AJC Sires' Produce Stakes winner and Caulfield Guineas candidate Manhattan Rain is the equal best-placed at 26th in order for a start with a rating of 114. Also at that mark is Onemorenomore, then comes Tickets (111), Trusting (110), and Extra Zero and So You Think (103).
Racing Victoria Ltd's chief handicapper, Greg Carpenter, told The Age yesterday, it was impossible to predict how Saturday's results could affect the ratings but conceded the Caulfield Guineas especially appeared to boast numerous high quality horses.
''Much depends on margin and other factors, but if the race lives up to what many expect it to be, then the first three placings would go to something like 115 and above. It looks to be an extremely strong race,'' he said.
Such a scenario would place more pressure to make the Tatts Cox Plate cut on the likes of borderline horses Nom Du Jeu, Red Ruler, Melbourne Cup winner Viewed, as well as last year's fourth placegetter Zarita.
Attempting to shore up their Tatts Cox Plate position by claiming ballot-free status in the Yalumba Stakes are Master O'Reilly (equal 18th), Vision And Power (eq 13th), Nom Du Jeu (eq 18th), Douro Valley (eq 13th) and Zarita (eq 18th).
www.theage.com.au
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Con Karakatsanis is a young man with the world at his feet.
Aged just 24, the former jockey turned trainer already has a Group One win in the bag courtesy of Black Piranha's Stradbroke Handicap triumph.
On Saturday at Caulfield he will break new ground when he has his first runner in Melbourne.
And it will be no low-key initiation.
Karakatsanis will saddle up Black Piranha in the Group One Toorak Handicap (1600m) but far from being overawed by the task he is taking it all in his stride, his enthusiasm the only giveaway.
"It's good for me. I'm only 24 and I've got one of the favourites for a Group One on Saturday and one of the chances in the Tatts Cox Plate," Karakatsanis said.
"I rode Mistegic in a Manikato and an Ian McEwen so it's not all new to me.
"Once I stopped riding I brought some horses down here for (trainer) Tim Martin but this is my first time bringing a horse down here that I train.
"It's pretty exciting."
If consistency won Group One races, Black Piranha would have a few more to his credit.
The six-year-old has finished first or second at his last six starts and five of those have been at the highest level.
The last time he finished out of the prizemoney was when he was seventh to Gergis at Randwick in March 2008 - 17 starts ago.
"There is no horse going around at the moment who is as consistent as he is," Karakatsanis said.
"The horse and the owners deserve him to be running in these types of races.
"He has earned a crack at the big time."
Black Piranha arrived in Melbourne last week and has settled in well at his Caulfield base.
Karakatsanis galloped him on the course proper there on Tuesday and said while the gelding stargazed at the marquees being erected for Guineas day he finished off the workout stylishly.
"I'm confident he will perform well."
If he does, Black Piranha will go straight into the Tatts Cox Plate without another run.
Beyond that, a trip to Hong Kong for the Champions Mile in December beckons.
"He did get invited to go to Hong Kong," Karakatsanis said.
"It all depends on how he pulls up after the spring.
"We will probably make a decision after this run and get him done (inoculated) just in case."
Black Piranha has drawn barrier nine in the Toorak field of 18 and regular rider Tye Angland will again be aboard.
www.virtualformguide.com
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Speed Gifted was given a two kilogram penalty for his win in Saturday's Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick taking him to 53kg for both Cups.
The European import needed to win the Metropolitan (2400m) to pass the first elimination clause for the Caulfield Cup on October 17 and the weight increase ensures he will get into the field.
Speed Gifted travelled straight home to Victoria and Freedman said he would monitor his progress over the next week before making a decision on Caulfield Cup.
"He will either go to the Caulfield Cup or go to the Melbourne Cup with a run under his belt," Freedman told Sydney's Sky Sports Radio.
"The Cox Plate is the one other option.
"It's all to do with the recovery and if he recovers quick enough for Caulfield that will be the race we aim him at.
"If we need extra time we might run in the Cox Plate.
"He got back last night, he's eaten well and will have a few light days at the beach and in the paddock and then we will assess things."
Racing Victoria's chief handicapper Greg Carpenter was impressed by the ease of Speed Gifted's Metropolitan win and penalised him accordingly.
"Speed Gifted dominated his opposition in the Metropolitan Handicap and while the race was run on rain affected going he had already won impressively at Flemington on good going since the weights were released," he said.
"The penalty is greater than those imposed on the most recent winners of the Metropolitan reflecting the ease of his victory.
Light Vision remained on 52.5kg for both Cups with Carpenter deciding not to give him a penalty for his win in Saturday's Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington.
www.bloodstock.com.au
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Trainer Mark Kavanagh didn't pay up for Cox Plate favourite Whobegotyou in the Caulfield Cup while stablemate Raffaello was no longer in the Cox Plate.
Kirklees and Singapore Derby winner Jolie's Shinju were the only overseas horses still in the Cox Plate after third declarations.
Jolie's Shinju was taken to Caulfield on Tuesday for a gallop in preparation for Saturday's Group One Yalumba Stakes and the mare is expected to be stabled there until after the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 24.
Racing Victoria Limited chief veterinarian, Dr Paul O'Callaghan, examined Jolie's Shinju after she worked and gave her the all clear to run on Saturday.
There were 85 horses left in the Melbourne Cup after second declarations were taken on Tuesday, the same number as at the same stage last year.
Seven overseas horses remain in the race - the Dermot Weld-trained Profound Beauty, Luca Cumani's pair Basaltico and Cima De Triomphe, the Godolphin stable's duo Crime Scene and Kirklees, the Herman Brown-prepared Mourilyan and Munsef, trained by Ian Williams.
There were 44 horses remaining in the Caulfield Cup, six more than at the same stage in the past two years.
Kirklees and Cima De Triomphe moved into a new phase of their preparation at Sandown on Tuesday when they cantered twice over about 1000m on the course proper which had been softened by overnight rain.
Crime Scene, Kirklees and Cima De Triomphe were the only remaining overseas horses left in the Caulfield Cup after Tuesday's third declarations.
Although Kirklees and Cima De Triomphe are regarded as being better suited on firm ground their handlers were happy to have the rain soften the Sandown track, which had firmed up in recent days, for their work purposes.
Godolphin travelling foreman Tommy Strang said its duo was likely to have a stronger gallop on Wednesday.
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=872196
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Racing Victoria's chief veterinarian Paul O'Callaghan said that the mare's heart issue was a serious one in terms of her short-term racing future, and that he would recommend to stewards that she not start this Saturday at Caulfield unless further tests are encouraging.
''Unless I am completely satisfied with tests on Thursday, I will be recommending to the stewards that she shouldn't run,'' O'Callaghan told The Age. An ECG machine was strapped to the mare but did not deliver results while the mare galloped. O'Callaghan said another attempt would be made to monitor her heart-rate during a gallop at Sandown as he said the condition would be considered most serious if the heart condition exists while she gallops.
Just a month ago, Jolie's Shinju was the second favourite for the Cox Plate but her stocks have fallen in recent weeks following a dismal run at Moonee Valley on September 25 when O'Callaghan first noted an irregularity with her heartbeat.
''She did have three or four abnormal beats after her Moonee Valley run and one abnormal beat after she galloped last Saturday,'' O'Callaghan said. ''She had four abnormal beats again after her work yesterday.''
Yesterday, Jolie's Shinju was the only internationally trained horse paid up at third declarations stage for the Cox Plate but she is under serious doubt of making it to the race.
Her assistant trainer Len Treloar said at trackwork yesterday, that the mare would need to run at Caulfield on Saturday if she was to make it to the Cox Plate.
www.theage.com.au
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While the gallant grey stayer and his up-and-coming jockey basked in the glory of an unexpected triumph - Efficient's first since the 2007 Melbourne Cup - a handful of other stayers staked their claim with eye-catching trials, while early cups favourite Vigor slid down the pecking order after an inglorious run.
"It was a great win and we were expecting a big run from him today. He'll go to the Cox Plate and then the Melbourne Cup now," said Nick Williams, son of Efficient's managing part-owner, Lloyd Williams. "(We're) also very happy with C'est La Guerre. He bounced back after his last run and will run next week in the Yalumba, then go to the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup."
Efficient missed the 2008 Melbourne Cup due to injury, but prospects were high of another crack in 2009, with the grey and C'est La Guerre.
The third Williams-owned runner in the Stakes, veteran stayer Zipping, also pleased and will head either to the Cox Plate or the Mackinnon Stakes before a likely attempt at a third straight Sandown Classic.
Williams said Efficient had shown he was back to his trackwork best, and an incredible split of 22.77 seconds between the 800 and 600 metres reflected that.
Despite a moderate tempo set by the heavily backed Maldivian, who was allowed to bowl along in front, Efficient reeled off very slick closing sectionals to reel in a brave Predatory Pricer, who looked set for victory inside the final 200 metres after stalking the speed for most of the race.
The Caulfield Cup rather than the Cox Plate firmed as Predatory Pricer's main spring aim after yesterday's run.
"We might have got to the front a bit early but he switched off well without the blinkers and ran a great race,'' said trainer Paul Murray.
Third-placed Scenic Shot overcame a wide run and a mid-race move to out-bob Maldivian for third, while Kiwi stayer Red Ruler stuck on gamely with veteran Baughurst.
Another past Melbourne Cup winner, Viewed, caught the eye further back in the field and brought a grin to the face of his trainer, ''Cups King'' Bart Cummings.
Cummings' other Turnbull runner, Roman Emperor, looked a chance inside the 400 metres but just lacked the turn of foot needed to go with the placegetters on firm ground.
Danny O'Brien is hoping that former Caulfield and Melbourne cups favourite Vigor's lacklustre performance in the Turnbull was merely a blip on the radar, and said the stable would press on to the Caulfield Cup.
"He was disappointing on face value but Damien [Oliver] did say that there was a lot of pressure early on and that may have had an effect," O'Brien said.
O'Brien's other Turnbull acceptor, Master O'Reilly, was scratched yesterday morning because of an elevated temperature, and could start in Saturday's Yalumba Stakes as a tune-up for the cup a week later if he recovers over the next few days.
Leading rider Craig Williams has a busy start to the week after stewards adjourned an inquiry last night into his part in interference in the early stages of the Turnbull Stakes.
Stewards claimed that Williams, on Maldivian, cut across the field when not sufficiently clear soon after the start.
He is already appealing a four-meeting ban for over-use of the whip at last Wednesday's Moonee Valley meeting.
Brad Rawiller was suspended for six meetings for causing interference on Eagle Falls in the Gilgai Stakes. He will return on Saturday for the Caulfield Guineas meeting.
www.theage.com.au
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Trainer Chris Waller has lowered his sights and will continue to race Rangirangdoo in handicap events through the spring.
Waller is happy to press on to Melbourne with Rangirangdoo after his gallant second on a heavy track in Saturday's Epsom, won by the Gai Waterhouse-trained Rock Kingdom.
The lightly-raced five-year-old proved that he was Group One class when he failed by just a half head to peg back Rock Kingdom but Waller feels a race like the Cox Plate is still beyond him this year.
He now plans to start Rangirangdoo in the $200,000 Patinack Crystal Mile over 1600m at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate day and then wind up his spring campaign with another crack at a Group One in the $1 million Emirates Stakes over 1600m at Flemington on November 7.
TheTatts Cox Plate is not an option for Epsom winner Rock Kingdom with trainer Gai Waterhouse considering a quick back up in the G1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield on Saturday.
www.racingandsports.com.au
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It's confusing for those around them, but it usually doesn't matter. Prizes are rarely at stake.
That could all change if they turn up in identical outfits at the Cox Plate Fashions on the Field competition in a few weeks. Judges could be faced with a very difficult decision.
The pair, 55, who were preparing to retire gracefully from Fashions on the Field competitions because they felt they were "past it", will enter Moonee Valley Racing Club's inaugural over-40s competition on Cox Plate day, October 24.
They reckon their odds of winning have shortened since the club announced it would introduce a separate competition for women over 40. As for many women their age and older, the sisters believe younger competitors, with fewer wrinkles, tiny waistlines and knees that haven't yet started to sag, have an advantage.
"You do feel a bit foolish getting up there with all the young girls who always seem to win anyway. And you kind of think, 'Well, what's the point? Why bother?' Because, I think sometimes the judges find it hard to see past the wrinkles," Mrs Mason says.
Although judges are told it is a "best dressed" competition not a beauty contest, older women have been under-represented on the winner's podium for many years.
At Flemington, since 2000, the average age of the winner of the major Fashions on the Field prize has been 21. There was one exception in 2007, when a 45-year-old New Zealand milliner won the prize.
At Caulfield, women in their early 20s have also dominated the fashion competition during the past decade. Several winners have been models.
Moonee Valley Racing Club's head of marketing and communications, Raechel Lavelle, says the new category will provide an even playing field. "We hope that the judges are impartial when it comes to age and looks because it is about the outfit," she said.
"However, we think this will just give the older competitors more of a chance What we are trying to do is encourage the more mature ladies that come along to the races to get up there and strut their stuff without feeling intimidated."
The move follows the success of similar competitions at a handful of country race clubs, including Mornington Racing Club, which introduced an over-35s category several years ago.
"I think it's great because I really believe the older women don't get a fair go," says Mrs Williams who, with her sister, has entered several competitions at Cranbourne, Mornington and Flemington over the years. They have repeatedly made the finals, but never won.
"There's been some beautiful outfits out there over the years on older women but they just never seem to get a look in. Invariably it's the younger girls who always win."
The pair say they would like to see Melbourne Racing Club and Victoria Racing Club introduce similar categories at Caulfield and Flemington.
Mary Morton, of the Melbourne Racing Club, says she wouldn't rule out introducing an older age category in the club's fashion competition.
"I will be interested to see how this new competition goes as I do think there are some really smartly dressed older women who do tend to get eclipsed by the girls in their early to mid-20s," she says.
"So I think having a slightly older category is a really good idea ... (but) I would be more inclined to make it over 50."
The VRC said although it had no plans for an older age category it would continue to "review and expand" its Fashion on the Field competition.
www.theage.com.au
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The four horses, Godolphin stablemates Kirklees and Crime Scene and the Luca Cumani-trained pair Cima De Triomphe and Basaltico, arrived in Melbourne on Saturday and today was to be their first appearance on the track.
However, it was a low-key start with only Cima De Triomphe and Basaltico going out onto the track while Kirklees and Crime Scene were confined to walking exercise in the quarantine compound.
Godolphin's travelling foreman Tommy Strang said that while his charges were recovering well from their long flight from England, Kirklees had a slightly-elevated temperature and he would wait another day before they began any track work.
Both Kirklees, which will run in either the BMW Caulfield Cup on Saturday 17 October or the Tatts Cox Plate on Saturday 24 October and Crime Scene which is nominated for the Caulfield and Emirates Melbourne Cups, looked keen and bright.
Strang said Kirklees had lost only six kilograms on the trip and Crime Scene about 15 kilograms, which was not out of the ordinary.
The highly-rated Cima De Triomphe (ridden by track rider Jossemar Alves) and Basaltico (ridden by track-rider Louis Lopes) walked one circuit of the course proper.
On looks alone, Cima De Triomphe, winner of the 2008 Italian Derby, is a more impressive type than his former stablemate Bauer who went so close to winning last year's Melbourne Cup for Cumani.
Charlie Henson, travelling foreman for Cumani, arrived in Melbourne later this morning and went straight to Sandown to inspect the horses.
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Monday, 28 September 2009: Nash Rawiller will ride AJC Derby winner Nom Du Jeu for the first time at Randwick on Saturday.
A Cox Plate bid hinges on Nom Deu Jeu's performance in the Craven Plate after a setback upset his spring plans and forced a major change to his program.
Nom Du Jeu has been struggling to overcome muscle soreness and delays at the start of his preparation forced the Bakers to abandon Caulfield and Melbourne Cup plans for last year's Randwick classic winner.
At one stage they feared he would not race at all this spring but he responded to treatment and convinced them to press on with a Cox Plate preparation.
Nom Du Jeu has had one recent start in New Zealand, resuming with a second in the Karaka Classic over 1600m at Pukekohe on September 20 when he was ridden by Troy Harris.
Rawiller is aligned to the Gai Waterhouse stable but does not have a Cox Plate commitment as the premier Sydney trainer has only her three-year-old Manhattan Rain in the mix for a start in the $3 million Moonee Valley event.
Jeff Lloyd, now based in Hong Kong, rode Nom Due Jeu when he won the AJC Derby and teamed again with the stayer when he raced in Australia last spring where his performances included a second placing in the Caulfield Cup.
Glyn Schofield was his rider when he had one Sydney start in March before a setback ended his autumn campaign.
Rawiller is also booked to ride Doncaster winner Triple Honour in Saturday's Group One Epsom Handicap for Rosehill trainer Chris Waller.
Waller will also start Epsom favourite Rangirangdoo with Corey Brown as his rider.
Triple Honour may end up topweight for the Epsom when the final field is declared with doubts about the five higher weighted horses, including Vision And Power, Black Piranha and Mentality, taking their place.
Triple Honour has 55kg in the Epsom but if he is left as topweight the handicaps will be raised 2kg.
Weights for Saturday's AJC Metropolitan are also set to be raised a substantial 4.5kg as the top 10 horses in the weights are unlikely starters, leaving Ready To Lift (52.5kg) with the number one saddlecloth.
Article from WWW.RACINGANDSPORTS.COM.AU
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According to their handlers the four horses all seemed to handle the 30 plus hours trip well although the important part of travelling such long journeys is how they settle in over the next few days.
The team of five accompanying the Godolphin horses, including grooms and security staff, was headed by Tommy Strang and Niall Collum who were here last year with All The Good whose win in the BMW Caulfield Cup was Godolphin’s best result of their many visits to the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
Strang said he considered Kirklees was a better prospect at this stage than All The Good was last year because he was a more proven horse.
"All The Good’s form wasn’t as good but he was on the up," Strang said.
He said it had not yet been decided if Kirklees’ target would be the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 or the Tatts Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24.
"’He (Kirklees) has lots of speed so the Cox Plate could be an option,'" Strang said.
Seven-year-old Crime Scene has 53kgs in both the Caulfield and Emirates Melbourne Cups and Strang described him as having plenty of ability but he was not always consistent.
He said Kirklees, who is now into as short as $13 for the Caulfield Cup, and Crime Scene would have a quiet couple of days and probably go out on the track for the first time on Tuesday.
Cima De Triomphe and Basaltico arrived in the care of their two grooms with Cumani’s travelling foreman expected in Melbourne on Monday.
The highly-rated Cima De Triomphe, winner of the 2008 Italian Derby, is a grey like Cumani’s Bauer, who was nosed out of last year’s Melbourne Cup by Viewed, although much bigger.
Meanwhile plans for the Singapore-trained mare Jolie’s Shinju are up in the air after her disappointing run in the JRA Cup at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Jolie’s Shinju dropped out sharply after leading to the 600 metres and her connections are now considering whether to press onto the Cox Plate.
The next contingent of northern hemisphere horses for the spring carnival is due to arrive in Melbourne on October 10.
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Wednesday, 9th of September 2009
The Jolie’s Shinju team, including her regular jockey Ron Stewart and trainer Hideyuki Takaoka, flew in from Singapore last night ahead of Saturday’s race, the five-year-old’s first start on Australian turf.Stewart worked the mare with a travel companion in her first lap at a walk before cantering a further two laps of the track alone.
Stewart said, "She's very forward going and I thought she'd be a little bit more relaxed or looking around more. But she worked today how she works in Singapore. She is quite fresh but spot on."I think she'll run well (on Saturday) and I'm really happy with her. I've only been on her the once and will know a bit more tomorrow when we do a bit more work.
"I've been away for so long so it's hard to judge how she'll match up to the Australian horses but generally when you ride a horse with a bit of quality you expect them to bring that quality here to compare to the Australian horses."Jolie's Shinju has won her last four starts in Singapore, three at Group level, including the Group 1 Singapore Derby (2000m) at her last start when she blitzed her rivals by five lengths.
Stewart said, "She's really surprised me, she's really taking the next step as a stayer. If you take a look back at her six months ago she was a different horse. She was really revved up walking around like a sprinter but she's just saving it now for her work now which is a lot better.
Following her work at Moonee Valley, Takaoka felt she had overworked and will modify her track gallops at Sandown tomorrow morning accordingly, with fast work only up the straight.
Takaoka said, "We will do our best and see how she goes."
While Jolie’s Shinju has been nominated for all three major spring features her ultimate goal is the Tatts Cox Plate on Saturday 24 October.
Stewart said, "I think it's a very tactical race (Tatts Cox Plate) I'm sure it will suit us with the pace. She's a genuine run along sort and I am sure she will make the race very interesting."
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Unbeaten in her last four starts, the champion five-year-old settled into the quarantine facility well and will begin work as early as tomorrow.
Assistant trainer Tetsuhito Hirose said they were very pleased with the way she travelled and now have their sights set on the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday 12 September, with the ultimate goal being the Tatts Cox Plate.
"As you have seen from her last three starts in Singapore no one can match her," Hirose said, "The plan at this stage is to run her in Dato' Tan Chin Nam and we haven't decided whether we will give her one more run before the Cox Plate, but at this stage we’re going straight to the Cox Plate"
Jolie's Shinju blitzed her rivals in the Group 1 Singapore Derby (2000m) in June. Hirose said connections of the mare decided a trip to Melbourne for the Spring Racing Carnival became a realistic option before the Derby, after her victories in the Group 1 Patron’s Bowl (1400m) and Group 2 Derby Trial (1600m).
"She has about four or five lengths on the other horses in Singapore as seen her last two starts, which is the same as Rocket Man, so we are expecting her to be really competitive.
"We will see how she can match the Australian horses."
The Dato' Tan Chin Nam stakes will be the first race she has run out of Singapore.
RVL'S General Manager of Racing Operations Leigh Jordon said, "It's great to have an international horse arrive so early for the Spring Carnival.
"It's interesting, most of her form has been over sprinting races and the minute they stepped her up she started to really find her true form. It looks like she runs great sectionals. I think she is really exciting and she could be a real surprise package in the Cox Plate."
Jordon said he is expecting between seven and ten international contenders for this year's Spring Racing Carnival.
"Unfortunately Jane's (Chapple-Hyam) horse didn’t go well but Dermot Weld is very confident of Profound Beauty making a return to Melbourne this year.
"Aidan O'Brien's horse Changing Of The Guard ran second in the Ebor and he's a big chance to come here. Godolphin who won the Caulfield Cup with All The Good last year have also got a couple of runners too."
The next influx of international horses to arrive for the 2009 Spring Racing Carnival will be on Saturday 26 September.
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Mr Medici and Packing Winner, both trained in Hong Kong by Peter Ho, would make it three international horses in the field, if both were to make the trip to Australia. The Tatts Cox Plate hasn't seen an international runner for a couple of years and the latest international interest should make for a great race if all three were to run.
Mr Medici has been extremely competitive in good quality races in Hong Kong, after originally being trained in Ireland. The five year old placed in the recent Hong Kong Derby and followed that race up with a neck second in Sha Tin (1600m). Earlier this year, Mr Medici won the Queen Mother Memorial Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin and finished fourth behind Viva Pataca, Thumbs Up, and Collection in the Group 1 Charter Cup (2400).
Packing Winner ran a game sixth in the Charter Cup and a neck second behind Viva Pataca and ahead of Mr Medici (4th) in the Hong Kong Cup. The seven year-old by Zabeel won the Charter Cup last year.
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Takaoka flew in from Singapore yesterday and this morning attended track work for the first time to inspect how his charge had settled into her new surrounds.
Her travelling companions had initially expressed concerns that the flight from Singapore may have taken its toll on Jolie’s Shinju, as it was her first flight since she was transported to Singapore from her birthplace of Japan as a two-year-old.
However to the contrary Takaoka found the five-year-old in great order and was especially pleased she had settled into her new home so well.
In her first three days at Sandown Jolie’s Shinju had done little more than familiarise herself with the Sandown track, which she has all to herself until the European contenders arrive on AFL Grand Final Day.
Today however, her campaign swung into something resembling top gear as she cantered two laps of the Sandown track under the guidance of her regular track rider Eric.
While the most difficult thing to assess is whether she can match Australia’s best, her work indicated she is not here for the scenery and can be expected to be competitive in her first assignment, the Group 1 Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) on Saturday 12 September at Moonee Valley.
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Trained by Hideyuki Takaoka, the five-year-old has an outstanding record on her home turf, winning all of her last four starts including the Group 1 Singapore Derby and Group 1 Patron’s Bowl.
Jolie’s Shinju will be prepared for the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chim Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday 12 September and has been nominated for the three major features of the Spring Racing Carnival but most likely will run in the Tatts Cox Plate.
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The four-year-old settled nicely in the earlier stages of the 1400 metre contest by rider Steven King and finished off strongly out wide, proving a shade too good over the short trip for Whobegotyou (Damien Oliver) who worked home well to get within a half neck on the line.
Peter Moody-trained 4yo mare Typhoon Tracy (Luke Nolen) who was previously unbeaten from five starts, was under pressure from the outset up on the pace, but fought the race out well to hold on for third a length away from the winner, ahead of the fast finishing Heart Of Dreams (Craig Newitt).
Predatory Pricer's Kembla Grange-based trainer Paul Murray plans to target the major races of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival with the rising star, with the Tatts Cox Plate as his primary goal.
"What can I say? He's just a magnificent animal," Murray said. "I kept him fresh for the race and he's done really well since he trialled and we'll just keep stepping up.
"We will probably run him again over a mile in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on our way to the Cox Plate but we haven't decided whether to go for the Caulfield Cup as well.
"He's a bit more mature now and hopefully the penny has dropped and he's in for a good spring," Murray added.
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The weights and handicaps for the spring feature races will be released on Wednesday 2 September.
1st Acceptances close 12 noon Tuesday 8 September, 2009.
For full Tatts Cox Plate nominations download 2009 Cox Plate Nominations.pdf
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Joe Pride, trainer of Vision And Power is enjoying the most successful season of his training career, after winning 40 races this season placing him fourth in the Sydney trainers premiership.
With only 35 horses in work, Pride is eclipsing his previous best of 25 wins set three years ago with his new strike-rate of a winner every 4.7 runners.
"It's been my best season by far since I've started training eight years ago," Pride told The Daily Telegraph.
Pride said after celebrating career-best Group One wins in the Doncaster Mile and George Ryder Stakes, the Nick Moraitis-owned Vision And Power will be entered for all the major races over the spring including the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups but the primary target is the $3 million Tatts Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
"He had five weeks off after autumn which is enough for an older horse," the trainer revealed.
"He's been back in for about four weeks and if anything I think he's improved. I'm probably going to keep him to weight-for-age program during the spring leading up to the Cox Plate.
"He'll resume in the Warwick Stakes and then go to the Chelmsford Stakes and George Main Stakes before going to Melbourne for the Caulfield Stakes and Cox Plate. I don't think we'll go to the Epsom Handicap. The Caulfield Stakes is only a week after Epsom so I'd say we'll go straight to Melbourne after the George Main."
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Brilliant Singapore Derby (2000m) winner Jolie’s Shinju is Tatts Cox Plate (2040m) bound after her stunning five-length win in the Group 1 feature at Kranji.
The four-year-old mare completed a clean sweep of Singapore’s Four-Year-Old Challenge having won the Patron’s Bowl (1400m) and Singapore Derby Trial (1600m) at her previous starts.
"I hope she can now go for the Cox Plate," said elated owner Dr Tan Kai Chah.
"She ran a very good time which was not all that far from the Singapore Cup time. I think she can measure up to Australia."
A one-time sprinter, Jolie’s Shinju defeated the Laurie Laxon-trained Big Maverick, ridden by Brett Prebble, while Jabal Tarik, formerly trained in Victoria by Lee Freedman, ran fourth.
Jolie’s Shinju’s trainer Hideyuki Takaoka agreed that the Tatts Cox Plate is now the main aim.
"Cox Plate? Yes, yes, I think she will go for it," Takaoka said.
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Sir Slick is set to become the most experienced racehorse ever to contest Australasia's premier Weight-For-Age championship race - the Tatts Cox Plate after racking up his 100th start in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup last month.
Finishing a gallant fifth in his last start of his Queensland Campaign which saw the Te Aroha ironhorse complete six starts in as many weeks registering placings in the Group 1 Doomben Cup, the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes and the Group 3 Chairman's Handicap.
The Graeme Nicholson-trained "people's champion" returned home after the Brisbane Cup but hasn't completely turned out for a spell with Nicholson preferring to give him daily exercise on a water treadmill and afternoon walks.
An ambitious spring programme is in place for Sir Slick wih Nicholson stating to Waikato Times that "Definitely the Cox Plate is on the programme". Set to bypass the first Group 1 race of the New Zealand season on August 29, the rising eight-year-old Volksraad gelding is culminating a hit-and-run raid on the A$3 million Tatts Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 24.
"He's having a break at the moment, though he is on the water walker most days because he's a horse who has got to be doing something. He's chomping at the bit at the moment. All I can say is look out next season because, by God, he's full of himself."
Sir Slick will return to racing at Ellersie on September 5 in the leadup to the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate at Hastings on September 19 followed by the Group 1 Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings on October 3.
Nicholson said apprentice Roxanne Rattley was likely to ride Sir Slick at Ellerlie.
"The handicapper will probably give him 61 or 62kg so I'll use the apprentice claim," Nicholson said. "I'd rather he went there then to the Mudgway but he'll be back at Hastings for the Windsor Park [Plate]. He ran second in that race the year before last."
Likely to follow a domestic campaign safely through the Spring, with Group 1 races such as the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie, Thorndon Mile at Trentham, Whakanui Stud International Stakes at Te Rapa, Otaki-Maori Weight-For-Age at Otaki and New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie again on the radar.
Nicholson said that although the idea of continuing to campaign the warhorse abroad was not favourable by his part-owner in the horse, Barry Brown, Sir Slick would still return to Queensland next winter.
"I got a lot of criticism on the Gold Coast for racing every week for six weeks but, by gee, Slick loved it," Nicholson said. "He absolutely loved it and he wasn't at all a flat horse after the last race. He was still full of himself."
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Pride said Vision And Power, owned by Might And Power's owner Nick Moraitis, would resume in the Warwick Stakes (1400m).
"He'll have a couple of runs in Sydney, then we will make our way to Melbourne," Pride said on Sport927 yesterday.
"The Cox Plate is definitely our ultimate aim with the horse. His terrific second in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes over the same distance suggests the distance is suitable as well, and he deserves a crack at a race like the Cox Plate," he added.
Pride said the horse had issues in Melbourne, perhaps explaining why he had improved since going to Sydney.
"I don't think he dislikes the Melbourne way of going at all. His problems in Melbourne were more about him having a few problems," Pride added.
Formerly trained in Melbourne by Robert Smerdon, when a moderate city performer, Vision And Power has been rejuvenated under Pride, and he recorded back-to-back Group 1 wins in the George Ryder Stakes and Doncaster Mile.
Vision And Power had been back in work for four weeks, and if anything, had improved since the autumn.
"There is a good chance he can improve again from what he did in the autumn. The amount of improvement in him from his first prep with me, to the autumn, was fantastic," Pride said.
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The Stradbroke winner will parade and lead the field onto the track for the $130,000 Ramornie on July, and remain in Grafton throughout the carnival to begin his latest campaign, before returning to Sydney to prepare for the Weight-For-Age Championship of Australasia, the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October.
Black Piranha, the winner of seven races and $1.7 million, won his maiden race in Grafton back in July 2006.
This spring and winter, the gelding rose to be recognised as one of the Australia's best gallopers, finishing unlucky seconds in three consecutive Group One races - the George Ryder (Vision And Power), Doncaster (Vision And Power) and Doomben 10,000 (Apache Cat) - before his breakthrough victory at racing's highest level in the $1 million Stradbroke at Eagle Farm on June 6.
Reported in The Daily Examiner, Kararatsanis said, "He'll start his Cox Plate campaign in Grafton and stay throughout the carnival.
"The horse has spelled on the Gold Coast since the Stradbroke. He's glowing.
"He's put on about 15 kilos and looks absolutely fantastic.
"I don't let anyone else ride him, so he'll do some work in Grafton before going back to Rosehill," Kararatsanis added.
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"We're hoping he can get to run on soft tracks in the three races in New Zealand with his target to be the Kelt Capital before we bring him back over for hopefully a Cox Plate start," Moroney said on Racenet.com.
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"It's lucky we have found it now and it didn't happen during a race or a fast gallop. The result could have been a lot different," said trainer Patrick Shaw. Connections had flagged a possible trip to Melbourne for this spring's Group 1 Sportingbet Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Grand Final eve and the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington on Emirates Stakes day.
Shaw believes Rocket Man, a winner of seven of his eight starts, will make it back to the track following his surgery and a well deserved rest. "He's still a young horse and the prognosis is good so far. We will just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope the operation is a success," said Shaw.
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The inflammatory condition, known as Synovitis, affects the inner lining of the joint capsule within the fetlock which can only be detected by an arthroscope.
The champion four-year-old has not raced since the Group 1 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on 14 February when he finished a disappointing fifth.
The Hussler's vet, Rob McInnes, explained, "You can only diagnose the problem via an arthroscope because nothing shows up on the x-rays, and hence radiographs after his poor performance on 14 February didn't show anything.
"Once he hadn't responded to the normal treatment regimes for a wrenched joint as we diagnosed initially we spelled him, but it (the injury) didn't improve out in the paddock, hence he was brought back into the stables and the arthroscope was put in.
"We flushed it out and we have given him quarterzone steroids postoperatively and it hasn't responded so far."
McInnes said that Synovitis is a rare condition with only six cases to have been reported in Australia.
"I've contacted different vets around the world and there's nothing we haven't done so far that would normally help the condition so we're now just investigating the possibility of further treatments rather than just rest.
"There are reported treatments that involve the injection of a radioactive isotope into the joint to destroy the synovial membrane which they do to humans with the same condition and they have a good response to it.
"If we decide to go down the path of the radioactive isotope it would have to be flown over from France."
McInnes concluded that of the conditions that have been reported world-wide, about two thirds of the horses came back to race successfully.
Weekend Hussler's trainer Ross McDonald and wife Margaret are devastated by the discovery.
Ross said, "Everyone's disappointed for sure. I think everyone in racing is disappointed but it's one of those things in racing.
"We never made any plans (for the Spring Racing Carnival) because we knew we were working on getting him right, but the Cox Plate would have been on the agenda.
"There's nothing written on the injury he's got so it's all a bit of a guessing game."
Margaret added, "You only have a look at him to see he's just magnificent. He will never forget how to gallop, they never lose that. Even if it takes nine months. He's only a young horse and he's not heavily raced so we'll get him back but it's a damn shame."
The McDonalds are hoping the Hussler will be back in the Autumn.
"We are going to do everything within our means to make sure we leave no stone unturned in attempting to treat it. We just want to make sure we give him sufficient time. Inevitably in every inflammatory condition time is of the essence," McInnes said.
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"He's ricked his joint... and it hasn't completely healed. He looks fine in himself but the joint is the problem and we'll have another veterinarian's opinion to see where we are going with him."
McDonald told The Age they would probably release a statement this Wednesday as to where they will go with Weekend Hussler and that every precaution was being taken with the horse he rates as the best he has handled.
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Kavanagh said: "He got the all-clear and we're optimistic he will take part in the spring racing. He is in pre-training now and we will just see how he goes before we make any plans about where he kicks off".
After claiming victory in the 2040m Weight-For-Age Championship race, the 2008 Tatts Cox Plate at Moonee Valley last October, he was spelled for 15 weeks to prepare for his 2009 campaign. Maldivian again claimed victory on his return in February's 1400m Gr1 C.F.Orr Stakes at Caulfield but suffered a leg injury in the race and was spelled immediately.
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McDonald told Radio Sport 927: "He's in the stable and just doing a bit of work in the water treadmill at the moment. We will put a saddle on him in the next week or so& probably start trotting him around. We will bring him along quiet, because he comes to hand pretty quick. He looks great. We have not mapped out a plan for him yet, but I'd say he'd be in those early weight-for-age sprint races and we'll go from there." McDonald added the Gr1 Tatts Cox Plate in October was likely to be the end of his spring campaign, with the Dubai World Cup in March 2010 still an option. However McDonald noted: "He will not be over-taxed, as we want him around for a few years. We will pick what we think we can win & go there."
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Monday, 1st of June 2009
Collection, this season's highly impressive Hong Kong Derby winner, was beaten into third place behind champion stablemate Viva Pataca, but it was a performance which still had trainer John Moore eyeing Australasia's weight-for-age championship on 24 October.
"Collection ran well in defeat but he hasn't got the same mileage as Viva Pataca over the mile and a half. Collection will have a break now but the plan is still to take him to Australia for the Cox Plate in October," Moore said.
Champion Aussie hoop Darren Beadman passed up the winning ride on Viva Pataca to stick with the former Irish galloper, which has made a huge impression in his five starts in Hong Kong.
Collection's presence in the Cox Plate will be a major boost for the race which hasn't had an internationally-trained runner since the Godolphin-trained Grandera which finished third behind Northerly in 2002.
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In recent years, the most anticipated horse race on the Australian calendar has included international visitors from England, South Africa, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Argentina, and New Zealand. It's the Race Where Legends Are Made.
In 2008, the Mark Kavanagh trained Maldivian dictated the race in front and lead all the way to claim the Tatts Cox Plate. Michael Rodd delivered one of the great tactical rides seen at Moonee Valley to win the pinnacle of the Australasian turf. "This is better than winning the Melbourne Cup," was Michael Rodd's summation at the Tatts Cox Plate celebration party.
Maldivian joined the greats of the turf as a Tatts Cox Plate champion. His name now sits alongside racing's immortals: Phar Lap, Tulloch, Kingston Town, Sunline, Northerly and Makybe Diva to name but a few.
We now look forward with great anticipation to the 2009 Tatts Cox Plate.
The popularity of this prestigious race grows each year. With increased demand, our packages will sell quickly. In 2009, Moonee Valley Racing Club will deliver the premium one-day hospitality offer for the Spring Racing Carnival. The 2008 pricing for all packages has been retained, with the inclusion of a number of special new features to ensure that you and your guests enjoy this great racing event.
As a valued Moonee Valley Member, you will be provided the first opportunity to enjoy the best of the Spring Racing Carnival hospitality packages available. Hospitality packages go on sale to MVRC Members on Monday May 11, 2009 at 8.30am. Packages will be available to the general public on Wednesday May 20, 2009 from 8.30am.
For bookings or more information please call MVRC Customer Service on 1300 79 79 59.
R A Scarborough
MVRC Chairman
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Saturday, 25th of October 2008
Earlier this week Kavanagh signalled his intention to send Maldivian over the jumps and to put blinkers on for the Tatts Cox Plate run over 2040 metres at Moonee Valley, the scene of two previous wins from two starts for the six-year-old.
"Everyone was telling me how to train him and I had to stay focused," Kavanagh said.
"It was always the plan to school him over jumps and put the blinkers on for the Cox Plate and I did exactly as I said I would.
"It's a tried and true formula with Zabeels and this horse's form read two from two at Moonee Valley over 2040 metres.
"And he loves Moonee Valley. Horses that love the track excel at it so I was very happy going into the race.
"I was just waiting for the right time to play the trump card."
The right time came at 4.05pm and Maldivian was sent out at $11 after being backed in from $17 since Tuesday and he gave Kavanagh and jockey Michael Rodd little cause for concern.
Theseo crossed over from his wide alley to take the lead but didn't manage to keep it and Maldivian was always poised to strike.
Coming round the home turn, Maldivian led with the rest of the pack looming. Star filly Samantha Miss ($4.60 fav) struggled round the bend but rallied and momentarily looked a threat but was flat at the end of the race and finished third with Zipping ($7) edging her out of second.
The disappointment was New Zealand mare Princess Coup ($4.80) who finished ninth and never looked like running a place.
Maldivian's comeback for his first win since last year's Group One Yalumba Stakes was the crowning moment on a great day for Kavanagh and Rodd after Whobegotyou confirmed his status as the Victoria Derby favourite with a dominant win in the AAMI Vase (2040m) while Sea Battle added to the joy in the Jayco Mile.
Zipping's jockey Dan Nikolic said he thought he would have won had the pace been quicker but was heartened from a Melbourne Cup point of view while trainer Kris Lees will assess Samantha Miss over the next couple of days before deciding whether she presses on to the VRC Oaks on Thursday week.
"It was a great run and I knew she would go well," Lees said.
"Flemington will probably suit her better but we will just wait and see."
Glen Boss, who put himself through a testing campaign to reach the filly's weight of 47.5kg, said Samantha Miss got on the wrong leg for a few strides at a crucial time.
"She got a bit lost and took a while to balance up when they came around the turn," Boss said.
"She was giving ground at the point when she should have been making ground."
But nothing could be taken away from Kavanagh who has been based in Melbourne for less than two years after taking the gamble to move his family from Adelaide.
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