Twelve weight-for-age stars line up in the $6 million Cox Plate at Flemington on Saturday. Here is the form behind every runner, from joint favourites Sir Delius and Aeliana to Caulfield Guineas winner Warwoven.
The $6 million Cox Plate (Group 1, 2040m) is the feature on Saturday at Flemington, the first time the race has been run anywhere other than Moonee Valley while The Valley is redeveloped. Sir Delius and Aeliana shared favouritism after Tuesday night's barrier draw, with Warwoven and Ceolwulf next in the market.
Here is where every runner comes from, in barrier order.
The field
- 1. Birdman (Chris Waller / Ben Melham, 59kg) – Underwood Stakes winner, then third behind Land Legend in the Might And Power Stakes.
- 2. Warwoven (Bjorn Baker / Rachel King, 49.5kg) – three-year-old colt who has won the Golden Rose and the Caulfield Guineas, the latter by 1.75 lengths.
- 3. Ceolwulf (Joseph Pride / Chad Schofield, 59kg) – Champions Mile winner, second to Autumn Glow in the King Charles III Stakes at Randwick last Saturday.
- 4. Attrition (Mitchell Freedman / Jamie Mott, 59kg) – won the Hill Stakes at Rosehill by a neck. Fourth in last year's Cox Plate.
- 5. Sir Delius (Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott / Craig Williams, 59kg) – Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner, fourth in the Turnbull Stakes first-up.
- 6. Saint George (Ciaron Maher / Blake Shinn, 59kg) – half a length second to Kingswood in the Caulfield Cup.
- 7. Middle Earth (Ciaron Maher / John Allen, 59kg) – ninth in the Caulfield Cup.
- 8. Cosmic Crusader (Andrea Leek / William Pike, 59kg) – Turnbull Stakes winner, fourth in the Caulfield Cup.
- 9. Blind Raise (Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young / Jamie Melham, 49.5kg) – three-year-old, second to Warwoven in the Caulfield Guineas.
- 10. Aeliana (Chris Waller / James McDonald, 57kg) – mare, third in the Turnbull Stakes.
- 11. Light Infantry Man (Ciaron Maher / Harry Coffey, 59kg) – Australian Cup winner, second to Cosmic Crusader in the Turnbull.
- 12. Land Legend (Ciaron Maher / Ethan Brown, 59kg) – late paid entry who led all the way to win the Might And Power Stakes by a head in track-record time.
The key form lines
Three races shape this Cox Plate. The Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on 3 October produced Cosmic Crusader, Light Infantry Man, Aeliana and Sir Delius, so we already have a guide to how they handle this track. The Might And Power Stakes gave us Land Legend and Birdman, and the Caulfield Guineas gave us both three-year-olds.
Ciaron Maher saddles four of the 12. Saint George and Middle Earth both back up from the 2400m of the Caulfield Cup, and Cosmic Crusader does too for another stable.
The punting angle
Weight is the big talking point. Warwoven and Blind Raise carry 49.5kg against 59kg for the older males, and both drew inside. On the other side of the ledger, Land Legend and Light Infantry Man, the likely speed, drew the two widest gates. How quickly they can cross from out there could decide whether this is run at a genuine tempo, which matters for the backmarkers. Aeliana also has a wide draw to overcome, but James McDonald has won the last four Cox Plates.
Check the final scratchings and the Flemington track rating on raceday before you settle on a selection.