Essential punting pointers as Danceteria and Magic Wand bid for Cox Plate glory

6.55 Moonee Valley, Saturday
Ladbrokes Cox Plate | Group 1 | 1m2f | 3yo+

The retirement of four-time Ladbrokes Cox Plate winner Winx has changed the complexion of this year’s race with a full field promising a highly competitive renewal as Danceteria bids for back-to-back top-level victories for David Menuisier.

Menuisier celebrated a first Group 1 success with the Australian Bloodstock-owned four-year-old in the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis at Munich in July.

That was Danceteria’s second crack at the highest company, having finished fourth behind Enable in the Coral-Eclipse on his penultimate start, and his progressive profile suggests there is improvement to come.

Menuisier said of Jamie Spencer’s mount: “It’s an exciting race and the track should suit him. He’s a well balanced horse and quick ground is in his favour.

“We’ve mapped the season out to try and get him to peak for the Cox Plate. It’s very hard to gauge the opposition but I think he will run a big race.”

Consistent Magic bids for first Group 1

Ryan Moore was out of luck on Ten Sovereigns in The TAB Everest last Saturday and has made the trip from Sydney to Melbourne for two rides on Cox Plate day, including Magic Wand in the A$5m (£2.65m/€3.08m) feature race.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly is winless in 13 starts in Group 1 company but has performed consistently well, including when second in last year’s Prix Vermeille and Prix de l’Opera and filling the same spot most recently in the Arlington Million and Qipco Irish Champion Stakes.

Magic Wand’s form figures in Group 1s

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Moore, who won the race on the O'Brien-trained Adelaide in 2014, said: “She's never won a Group 1 and this is arguably the biggest weight-for-age race in Australia, so she's got to improve a little bit to be winning.

"She's run some very good races though behind some of the best horses around the world, whether that be Magical in Ireland or Bricks And Mortar in the Arlington Million.

"It's probably a fairly even sort of race. Lys Gracieux is possibly a little bit above them all, but Magic Wand is nicely drawn and should run well.”

Yahagi: Gracieux best horse in the race

Japan celebrated Caulfield Cup success with Mer De Glace last Saturday and there is plenty of confidence behind Cox Plate favourite Lys Gracieux.

Damian Lane’s mount is a dual top-level winner in Japan, most recently landing the Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin, but has to overcome a wide draw in stall 15 – likely to become stall 11 once the reserves come out.

Lys Gracieux: well fancied to land the Cox PlateCredit: Masakazu Takahashi

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi said: “I believe she is the best horse in the race. It’s hard to compare all the form but she has won at the top level and feeling better than she ever did in Japan.

“We would have preferred a lower draw but trust in Damian [Lane]."

Tommy Berry partners Japan’s other hope Kluger, also owned by U Carrot Farm and a one-and-a-half length second to Winx on the star mare’s final start in the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in April.

Berry said: “He worked with Lys Gracieux the other day and there wasn’t a lot between them. His form with Winx reads well and he should be involved.”

What they say

James Cummings, trainer of Avilius
He’s in really good order and has a tremendous appetite for racing. We’re happy with his draw [likely stall six] and any rain that came would be in his favour. Lys Gracieux has some high ratings and has to be respected.

Ben Hayes, co-trainer of Cape Of Good Hope and Harlem
Coolmore felt Cape Of Good Hope had similar form lines to our Caulfield Stakes winner and Cox Plate second Criterion and he thrilled us when winning on debut. I would lean towards him but Harlem is very underrated and well matched with Avilius.

Anthony Darmanin, rider of Mystic Journey
She ran a great race in the Turnbull where the slow gallop went against her. She’s the one to beat.

Also on Saturday

There’s a battle of the O’Briens in the A$500,000 (£265,230/€307,730) McCafe Moonee Valley Gold Cup on the Cox Plate undercard as Downdraft (5.35) takes on Hunting Horn in an 11-runner renewal of the Group 2 event.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Downdraft finished second to Melbourne Cup hope Southern France in the Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh last time and sits 35th in the order of entry for Australia’s biggest race next month, while Hunting Horn, trained by Aidan O’Brien, is 20th in the entry list.

Terry Henderson, director of owners OTI Racing, said: “We think Downdraft can win as we did with True Self in the Geelong Cup the other day. We’ve been receiving very good reports on his training since coming out to Australia.”

There is British representation in the Group 2 Schweppes Crystal Mile (6.10) with Dream Castle and Chief Ironside contesting the A$300,000 (£184,640/€184,640) race.

Dream Castle, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, is fourth reserve for the Cox Plate so very likely to instead tackle this race after finishing ninth in the Ladbrokes Stakes at Caulfield two weeks ago, while Chief Ironside was a luckless 13th in the Toorak Handicap on the same card.

Menuisier, trainer of Chief Ironside, said: “It’s a tough race with some horses in there who missed out on running in the Cox Plate but Chief Ironside is in very good form and was extremely unlucky when short of room last time.

“He has winning form at a variety of tracks, including Chester, and I feel it will suit him.”

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