2024 Cox Plate Day Tips & Preview

It’s easy to be with Katsu here first-up for Grahame Begg.  

The five-year-old gelding by Japanese sire Mikki Isle has won much tougher races than this, the most noteworthy being the Listed Kensington Stakes at Headquarters last December.  

He hasn’t done a great deal of racing since but did mix his form in similar Stakes races during a brief autumn prep.  

His recent trial win at Cranbourne ahead of Veight was a solid piece of work, leading all the way to win by 1.5 lengths.  

With three of his five wins coming first-up, this looks a perfect race for him with Jordan Childs still on board from the inside gate.  

Pisces is first-up for James Cummings having not raced since he took on Listed company at Flemington over the mile in July.  

The three-year-old by Frosted has missed the money only twice from eight starts, that last being one of those occasions where he was clearly looking for a shorter trip.  

He’s been given a nice break in time for the spring and trialled up well at Hawkesbury a couple of weeks ago, finishing second along the rail after wanting to shift out into the straight.  

James McDonald gets the sit, and the pair will likely look to settle in the back half from a slightly awkward alley. 

Supercilious should have her share of admirers second-up from a spell.  

The filly by Written Tycoon was runner-up to Silmarillion on return in the Atlantic Jewel close to six weeks ago, a race that never went to plan given she was held up badly along the rail rounding the turn. 

Once clear, she responded nicely to Ben Allen and found something extra, closing the gap through the line to finish three-quarters of a length off. 

Her late sectionals suggest she was one of the runs of the race, and if she can offset the awkward barrier this time, she should be very hard to beat.  

This sets up nicely for Cavity Bay with a few of these likely to accept elsewhere.  

The McEvoy-trained filly has held her form nicely against similar company recently, improving on a forgive effort in the Edward Manifold two runs back to finish second at Morphettville in the Hill Smith Stakes last week.  

The decision to race on the quick backup is an interesting one, but she has had her runs space since resuming last month.  

I thought she tracked the favourite Gold Rush Guru into the race nicely last week and was far from disgraced over the final stages, while it’s worth keeping in mind, she was 1600m out to 1800m that day. 

Back over the mile now with growing fitness, she should run a nice race with plenty of gas likely still in the tank in the Moonee Valley Fillies Classic.

Kingswood continues to raise the bar for Gavin Bedggood and his team.  

The grey five-year-old by Roaring Lion steps out in search of his hat-trick after winning the Coongy Cup last week at Caulfield, peeling wide into the turn where he let rip with a sensational turn of foot to fend off the favourite Berkeley Square.  

He’ll likely go around at short odds again having drawn a perfect gate in the JRA Cup field, but there’s no doubt he’ll have a bit left to give with only two runs under his belt.  

Having found the money in all four of his attempts over 2000m, it’s hard to fault this boy, particularly if John Allen saves him for late again.

Happy to forgive Vianarra for his run in the Caulfield Guineas a couple of weeks ago, a race that has typically held up well when it comes to the Moonee Valley Vase. 

The Busuttin and Young-trained colt was away slowly and seen running last into the straight, searching for a lane around the 400m mark and eventually finishing only fairly along the rail.  

He was beaten just over four lengths in the end but is worth sticking with back in class from a much kinder gate.  

Showing that he might be wanting further over the final stages, this looks a nice bounce-back assignment for him after running back-to-back seconds at Sandown earlier in his prep.  

Oscar’s Fortune looks to have come back a treat. 

Still lightly raced for a four-year-old, the son of Rich Enuff has clearly appreciated the venture down to Victoria, running on late for second behind Bellatrix Star in the Schillaci Stakes when resuming at Caulfield two weeks ago. 

His autumn form ties in nicely with Overpass and Amelia’s Jewel, not to mention he’s two-from-two second-up from a spell.  

Damian Lane sticking is the other big positive, especially if the pair can shuffle across early and look to follow the leaders back into the straight in this year’s McEwen Stakes finish.  

Plenty Of Ammo has big claims in her second run back from a lengthy layoff. 

Simon Wilde’s mare flew into the frame first-up at Flemington to finish second in the Paris Lane Stakes, an enormous effort after stepping away from the scene for close to a year.  

She fought on strongly along the inside among a wall of horses charging the line, while she also had a bit go against her when struck over the head with an opposing jockey’s whip over the final 100m.  

Her unbeaten record over the mile suggests she’ll handle the rise in trip, and with plenty of improvement still to come, Jordan Childs has no real excuses from a nice soft gate.  

The drama surrounding Via Sistina midweek serves as the perfect narrative heading into this year’s Cox Plate.  

The multiple Group 1 winner threw off jockey James McDonald during Tuesday’s trackwork at The Valley, going on to run three laps of the course to give futures punters, and connections, a real scare. 

Chris Waller said they’ll evaluate the mare on race day, but even after the extra work, she’s no doubt one of the top contenders based on the tidy resume she’s already put together.  

The daughter of Fastnet Rock was brave winning the Winx Stakes at Randwick fresh from a spell, before handing in a fair effort on a bog track at Flemington in the Makybe Diva Stakes.  

She responded magnificently to win the Turnbull Stakes by a slim margin a few weeks ago, adding a fifth win over the 2000m trip to her name.

This is her first race start at The Valley but drawn a perfect gate to get back off the speed, her and J-Mac should be launching late.  

Private Legacy should be a popular bet in the last following a barnstorming runner-up effort in a Group 3 at Caulfield second-up. 

Gregory Hickman’s mare flew home from last to finish within half a length of Grinzinger Belle, not surprisingly clocking some of the fastest final 200m sectionals of the meeting. 

By The Autumn Sun, she’s been a little hit and miss over 2000m, her most notable performance coming at Morphettville earlier in the year where she was runner-up at 18-1 in the Australasian Oaks.  

Fitter third-up though and carrying only 54kg under Craig Williams, this looks like the right race for her if she can get back in the run and save her best for the finish.