We don’t have to wait until Saturday for the feature race to begin this week, and we’re off to The Valley on Cox Plate Eve!
The Manikato Stakes is no longer the headliner, but the Moonee Valley Gold Cup now takes pride of place as the feature race on Friday night, and it shapes as a strong edition.
There are eight winners to be found, and you can find all of my 2023 Cox Plate Eve Tips below!
Kiwi raider Rubicon Crossing looks capable of making it two from two in Australia when she goes around in the first at The Valley on Friday night.
The Rubick filly has been a good and consistent performance since debuting and she’s twice placed in black type company over the ditch.
With natural improvement, she can fight out the finish again.
Regardsmaree has typically loved racing at The Valley, and I think he can have a real impact in this lucrative VOBIS race.
Regardsmaree is yet to strike in six starts back from a break, but they have been spaced and he hasn’t been far away from the winner on most occasions.
In peak order, back to The Valley and following a credible run behind Ayrton on Neds Caulfield Guineas Day, I think that this is his opportunity to strike.
It could be a big night for the Nick Ryan stable on Friday, and they saddle up leading chance Port Albert in Race 3 as well.
Port Albert has placed in two of three runs back from a break, and he was last seen finishing second in a decent BM70 race at Hamilton.
He looks to be in peak order for this contest, he’s performed competitive at The Valley previously and the booking of Blake Shinn this week adds further confidence.
The undefeated Frilled has opened a short favourite in betting ahead of this one, and rightly so.
Frilled debuted with a dominant performance out a Nowra back in April, and she has continued to improve as the bar has been raised.
Having won over 1000m here at The Valley last time, she’s hard fit and I think she wins, but the $1.75 is too short for me, so I am going to select her as the winner in a Same Race Multi and pump up my odds with Fission running into the first three.
Same Race Multi selections:
- 6 Frilled (Win)
- 5 Fission (Top 3)
She Dances takes wining form into the Chautauqua Stakes, and I think she’s going to take a power of beating again.
The Street Boss mare returned to action with a fair effort to finish midfield, beaten by more than three lengths at Caulfield last month but took plenty of improvement into an eye-catching and ultimately, a dominant win in Group 3 company on Guineas Day.
Fitter third-up, she need only handle The Valley to be in the finish again and she is my best bet on the program.
Big drop in class for Bank Maur, and the JRA Cup is a far more appropriate race for the horse in my opinion.
The Maurice entire has proven to be a great galloper for Richard Laming and connections during his career and there is no doubt that his best performance to date came at this track and trip in the Group 2 Alister Clark back in March.
He has finished off the pace in three Group 1 races since returning for the spring, but there’s no doubt that he has stripped fitter for each and this race doesn’t have nearly as much depth or star power as an Underwood or a Turnbull.
At around the $12 mark (at publish), I think he looks a great each way chance.
The Moonee Valley Gold Cup has replaced the Manikato Stakes as the Friday night feature at The Valley and while I would personally prefer the Group 1 sprint to still be run under lights, I don’t hate this race’s addition to the program.
This is a quality field with several winning chances engaged, but I am going to have something on one-time Melbourne Cup favourite Lunar Flare.
Lunar Flare confirmed her position in another Melbourne Cup field by winning the Andrew Ramsden in utterly dominant fashion back in May and while she’s yet to strike in three runs back from a break, her most recent effort for fifth in the Turnbull Stakes hinted at good improvement.
Out to the 2500m on Friday, I think that this looks her race.
Happy to stick with the in-form Sirius Black in the last on Cox Plate Eve.
Sirius Black returned to winning form in BM64 company at Sandown last month and he franked that performance over this route last time out.
He’s hard-fit and something of this quality does look the next logical step for him.