Australia: ‘90-95%’ Romantic Warrior is favored in Cox Plate
Even though his trainer said he would not be at peak fitness, three-time Hong Kong Group 1 winner Romantic Warrior still was the 7-2 favorite in Australia futures betting this week for Saturday’s US$3.15 million Cox Plate (G1), the second major race of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Widely regarded as the best weight-for-age race in the southern hemisphere, the 102nd Cox Plate at Moonee Valley is scheduled for Saturday at 2:10 a.m. EDT, which is Friday at 11:10 p.m. PDT. The turf is expected to be rated good on a partly cloudy, windy, 76-degree day.
Trainer Danny Shum told South China Morning Post that Romantic Warrior, who has US$9.8 million in earnings, would be at only “90-95 percent” for the race. He criticized limited services available the past six weeks at the Werribee International Horse Centre 20 miles west of Melbourne.
“I can’t say I’m happy, but these are the only facilities I can use,” Shum said. “I think he would be better, because we can only hand walk for 30 minutes before we put the saddle on. If he could have the walking machine for 15 minutes, it would be a better warmup for him.”
Romantic Warrior, a 5-year-old Acclamation gelding who was bred in Ireland, drew post 7 in the 12-horse field for the turf race that covers 2,040 meters, 31 yards longer than 1 1/4 miles. James McDonald, who won last year’s Cox Plate with Anamoe, will ride Romantic Warrior in the race that goes around four 90-degree turns and ends with a short, 167-yard homestretch.
Owned by Hong Kong businessman Peter Lau Pak Fai, Romantic Warrior finished fourth Oct. 7 in the Turnbull Stakes (G1) going 1 1/4 miles at Flemington, less than two miles from Moonee Valley. Paired with McDonald, it was his first race outside Hong Kong, where he was named the 2022-23 middle-distance champion on the strength of 1 1/4-mile victories in the 2022 Hong Kong Cup (G1) and a repeat triumph in the 2023 QEII Cup.
Australia-based Alligator Blood, who finished fifth on heavy going in last year’s Cox Plate, was the 5-1 second choice this week. A 7-year-old All Too Hard gelding who is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Alligator Blood won at nearby Caulfield on Sept. 23 in the Underwood (G1) and two weeks ago in the Might And Power (G1). Drawn into post 5 with Tim Clark riding him for the second time in a row, the US$4.3 million earner will be racing for the fifth time since Sept. 2.
Seventh in the 2022 Cox Plate, 6-year-old gelding Mr Brightside was 6-1 to win his return to Melbourne. That is where he had won three races in a row before placing second two weeks ago in the one-mile King Charles III (G1) at Royal Randwick in Sydney. The son of Bullbars with US$6.4 million in earnings has gotten modest backing even though he finished out of the money in his only three starts going longer than a mile. Trained by Ben, Will and J.D. Hayes and paired with again with two-time Cox Plate-winning jockey Craig Williams, Mr Brightside will start from post 2.
Gold Trip, the 6-year-old Outstrip horse who finished third last weekend in the 1 1/2-mile Caulfield Cup (G1), cuts back to the distance at which he won the Turnbull and was 7-1 in the futures market. Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace are adding blinkers and recalling jockey Mark Zahra to replace Ben Melham, who had the ride last week. With earnings of US$4.5 million, Gold Trip will break from post 8.
Romantic Warrior, Alligator Blood, Mr Brightside and Gold Trip will carry the top weight of 130 pounds each.
The Cox Plate is the ninth of 10 races that also include the six-furlong, $1.26 million Manikato (G1), a weight-for-age sprint Saturday at 1:20 a.m. Six-time Group 1 winner Imperatriz, one of two 5-year-old mares facing five males Saturday, is 3-for-3 this year at Moonee Valley, 3-for-3 going six furlongs and was the 2-5 favorite in early betting.