Criterion Steps Up To The Plate

Sir Owen Glenn’s Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}), already a dual Group 1 winner heading into the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at The Championships in April, proved himself a standout in his country in that A$4 million event, and the 5-year-old has a chance to become a global star in a truly international renewal of the A$3 million G1 Cox Plate Saturday. Criterion has been well-traveled but not over-raced since his Queen Elizabeth score and made an excellent account of himself on the world stage when third in Hong Kong’s G1 QEII Cup and a credible fifth in Royal Ascot’s G1 Prince of Wales’s S. His European swansong was a sixth in the G1 Juddmonte International Aug. 19, and he was a winner on his Australian return in the G1 Caulfield S. Oct. 10 over six Group 1 winners, including Mongolian Khan (Aus) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}), Fawkner (Aus) (Reset {Aus}) and Pornichet (Fr) (Vespone {Ire}).

“He’s the most-traveled horse over the last 12 months but he’s lightly raced,” Criterion’s co-trainer David Hayes told Racenet.com. “Training him in Newmarket as part of the string with John Gosden has built a deep base of fitness. The race at York [Juddmonte International] was part of the plan to get him here for the spring.”

Of tactics, Hayes added, “As long as he can get a clear run and [jockey Michael Walker] can settle him just off the speed, that’s the most important thing, I feel. I know my horse can run his last 600 [meters] in 33 [seconds], so as long as he is close to them around the home turn it will take a very good horse to get past him.”

While confident in the preparedness of his horse, Hayes admitted he is fearful of the opposition, namely European invaders Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Arod (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).

“In a normal Cox Plate year I’d be feeling confident–say 10 years ago, I’d be very confident, but I wish these internationals were not here,” Hayes told Racenet. “They frighten me; I know how good they are.”

Another High For O’Brien?

Last year, Adelaide (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) handed champion trainer Aidan O’Brien a landmark first win the Cox Plate, and the Coolmore clan no doubt is experiencing a sense of deju vu with Highland Reel, who enters the race with a similar profile. Like Adelaide, Highland Reel has thus far been handled by O’Brien at Ballydoyle, and will be racing off the plane Saturday. Both horses also spent the early parts of their 3-year-old campaigns running over middle distances in Europe and America, and both won Arlington’s GI Secretariat S. Highland Reel comes into this off a fifth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths, in the G1 Irish Champion S. Sept. 12, and Coolmore Australia’s Tom Magnier said, “Adelaide was a great traveler, and this horse seems to have traveled well. The Coolmore team at Werribee seem happy with him. We need a bit of luck on the day but we think we might have a real chance.”

British-based trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam has been bullish about the chances of Qatar Racing’s Arod, who has won this year’s G3 Diomed S. and G2 Summer Mile and was second in the G1 Sussex S. to Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) July 29.

“This has been the plan for a long time, although it was on and then off and then on again, but everyone who’s with him is very happy,” said Chapple-Hyam. “I’ve been speaking with the lads twice a day. They’ve sent me videos of him working and I’ve been checking on the times and telling them what to do and things like that. It’s all worked well.”

Leading Australian rider Craig Williams will pilot Arod, and he added, “I’m very happy with Arod going into the Cox Plate and very happy with the barrier draw [stall five]. I love his form coming over from Europe. He was second in the Sussex S. and Solow, who beat him, arguably would be the best miler in the world. To have a horse with Arod’s credentials in a Cox Plate is a really impressive step for Australian racing and especially Moonee Valley. He’s not going to break clocks as he’s quite lazy in his work, but he’s got the best form in the race and the horse is healthy and well.”

Waller Saddles Trio…

A major Australian Group 1 just wouldn’t be that without a strong presence from trainer Chris Waller, and the Sydney champion conditioner saddles three 4-year-olds Saturday: the filly Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}); last year’s G1 Victoria Derby winner Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}); and dual Group 1 winner Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}).

Waller was reluctant to nominate one of his runners as having a better chance than the others, and told Racing.com, “The three horses all have their own styles of racing. Winx is a very sharp horse; she has a devastating turn-of-foot. She’s done that moreso in shorter races, so a Cox Plate is going to test her a little. You have a horse like Kermadec, he’s probably a middle-of-the-road type horse. He’s never won at 2000 meters but to me he looks a good, tough 2000-meter horse. He probably has a little more stamina than Winx.”

“Then you have Preferment who looks more like a stayer, hopefully a Melbourne Cup horse after the Cox Plate,” he added. “He was the winner of the Victorian Derby last year; that indicates his stamina, and he doesn’t have the same speed as the other two, in particular Winx. So they’re going to be coming from all angles and hopefully we get it right down that Moonee Valley straight.”

Waller made no secret, however, of his opinion of Winx’s potential. She has won her last four starts, including a landmark victory over males in the G1 Epsom H. Oct. 3.

“I could make a case to say that Winx could be a superstar, and that’s why Hugh Bowman is riding her over Preferment,” Waller explained to Racing.com. “What she’s done in her last four wins in Queensland and in Sydney has been quite phenomenal. She’s overcome problems, which you can’t do in Group 1 races, and she hasn’t only won, she’s won with ease.”

Others to ignore at one’s peril in this prized Australian jewel include Fawkner (Aus) (Reset {Aus}), who was second in this last year and showed no rust at age eight with a win in the G1 Makybe Diva S. Sept. 12; and Godolphin’s Group 1 winners Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}) and Complacent (Aus) (Authorized {Ire}). The latter owns a win over Criterion in the 2013 G1 Spring Champion S.