Reigning G1 Cox Plate champion Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) will face 134 rivals after Racing Victoria released the nominations for the A$5-million G1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate on Tuesday. The 98th edition of the 2040-metre Australian weight-for-age championship will be run at Moonee Valley on Saturday, Oct. 27. A winner of the last three Cox Plates, the Chris Waller-trained 7-year-old mare will face a stern test in October, with MG1SW Poet's Word (Ire) (Poet's Voice), the highest-rated horse in Europe, one of 26 international entries.
Aidan O'Brien fields a 14-strong team for the Cox Plate, led by G1 2000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and five other Group 1 winners in: Lancaster Bomber (War Front), Deauville (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Godolphin's MG1SW Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), trained by Saeed bin Suroor, has been nominated, as have fellow Godolphin colourbearers G1SW Blair House (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), GSW Emotionless (Ire) (Shamardal), and GSW & MG1SP Folkswood (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) from the Charlie Appleby yard. Neorealism (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), a Group 1 winner in Hong Kong, will represent Japan in the Cox Plate and last year's G1 Melbourne Cup-winning connections of trainer Joseph O'Brien and owner Lloyd Williams have nominated their G1 Irish Derby hero Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), one of 12 Northern Hemisphere 3-year-olds among the nominees. Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}), runner-up to Winx in 2017, also returns to go one better for Darren Weir.
Racing Victoria Executive General Manager-Racing, Greg Carpenter, said, “This year's Ladbrokes Cox Plate is shaping as a moment in history not to be missed, with several elite horses from both home and abroad nominated alongside Winx, the undisputed champion who will be chasing a record fourth consecutive win. “It's testimony to the stature of this race that we've received such strong international nominations from France, Japan, England and Ireland, including a record 14 entries from Aidan O'Brien, of which six are Group 1 winners.
To view the full list of Cox Plate nominees, click here.
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