We are going to see a pretty good A$3 million Cox Plate this afternoon.
But we’re not going to see a great one.
Competition between two very good horses like Whobegotyou and Heart of Dreams with Speed Gifted and 3-year-old So You Think thrown in will be fascinating
Outsider Sir Slick has been scratched from this afternoon’s $3 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, after failing to pass a veterinary examination on an injured hoof.
Kavanagh paid tribute to Rodd’s ride on Maldivian and said by the time rival jockeys realised they had to make a move the race was over.
”We had guys pressing buttons halfway through the race and, ‘Shit, the bird’s flown’ and Danny Nikolic on Zipping took off and everyone went mad,” Kavanagh said. ”Well, it was just too late. They had to make up too much ground.”
And this afternoon at Moonee Valley we’ll see the hot favourite Whobegotyou try to prove he’s not just a sit-and-sprint horse. He’s going to get that chance because Cox Plates almost never are.
And arch rival Heart Of Dreams will be there to establish he’s got the bigger ticker.
Whobegotyou is a natural backmarker, leaving Kavanagh to hope the race is run at a reasonable tempo. ”Every time you dissect the race, you can see it run a different way,” he said. ”The Cox Plate is a notoriously tactical race. Certainly there will be a lot of jockeys today planning things with owners. You may see someone do something totally out of left field.”
Cummings knows So You Think has Cox Plate potential, but believes the race might just be a little early in the young horse’s career.
Freedman is wily. He’s aiming Speed Gifted at the A$5.5 million Melbourne Cup. He hasn’t said so, but he’s probably worked out that he might just be able to get away with a Cox Plate in a weak year with a horse on the rise.
Each week Matt Campbell previews the weekend’s major sporting and racing events and provides key analysis, latest odds and hot tips. Select the preview you would like to see this week from the available list below.
If you tuned in last week you would have seen Matthew Campbell and John Dow both tipping Viewed for the Caulfield Cup! Who are they tipping this week for the Cox Plate? Watch the Cox Plate preview to find out!
- Audio: Interview: Mark Kavanagh, Con Karakatsanis (Grandstand)
- Audio: Interview: Luke Nolen (Grandstand)
- Map: Moonee Ponds 3039
- Related Story: Kav predicts no ridiculous Maldivian repeat
The site also has Aussie racing experts Ben Scadden and Lincoln Moore previewing the great race and telling you where to place your hard-earned money.
Australian Champion jockey Damien Oliver also tells fans about his Cox Plates win, while superstar trainer Bart Cummings uses the Herald Sun to tell punters that he believes he holds the key to the 2009 Cox Plate.
Fans can see the videos by following this link!
http://www.mvrc.net.au/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=111&Itemid=148
