It's tight - Australia's weight-for-age championship may still be 34 days away, but already there is a logjam of Group 1 horses queuing up for a Sportingbet Cox Plate start.
While connections of French horse Smoking Sun overnight declined an invitation for the $3 million race, the Moonee Valley Racing Club is otherwise faced with what appears to be an embarrassment of riches.
Currently, there are 13 Australian-trained Group 1 winners — Almalad, Crackerjack King, Commanding Jewel,Criterion, Dissident, Fawkner, Foreteller, Happy Trails, Puccini, Royal Descent, Sacred Falls, Silent Achiever andSuper Cool - on the path to a Cox Plate.
Then there’s the two international invitees — Irish horse Adelaide and Hong Kong horse Dan Excel.
Another overseas horse, Guest of Honour, who holds a Cox Plate entry, will run in the Toorak Handicap and if he won that would pursue the Cox Plate.
Side Glance, who finished sixth behind Shamus Award in last year’s Cox Plate, is another international who holds a Cox Plate entry.
The Cleaner, winner of the Group 2 Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley earlier this month, is exempt from the ballot.
And, then there’s the possibility of the Caulfield Guineas winner progressing to the Cox Plate.
As we discovered last year with Shamus Award, always expect the unexpected with the Cox Plate.
Field limit for the Cox Plate is 14.
Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter pointed out that the final field selection is left with the Moonee Valley Racing Club.
Carpenter said he would present to the club the form of the latest international runners coupled with all the horses' form cards over the past 12 months. (Racing Network)