A Coxless Plate Showdown

The Cox(less) Plate has always been one the staples on the racing calendar. Some of the (IRL) greats to win this event, Strawberry Road, Fields of Omagh, So You Think, Adelaide and of course Win(4x). This coveted plate is wanted by our best marathon grass runners. We continue the tradition Saturday when 14 line-up for the $3m Grade 1 event.

The race appears to be a wide open event with eleven horses looking for a first Grade 1 score. Some of on the improve and trying to show they are worthy and others are trying to grab the glory again.

Dark Spinner (#2, 5-1) from the Rac Stable is a favorite in the market. His 2022 campaign is a wonderful display of horse and connections being in sync and slaying all obstacles. The 5-year-old by Sepoy won four Graded races including back-to-back Grade 1 scores in the Suffix and Queen Liz. Spinner has banked $2.1m and has been deadly at a mile. This season has seen him struggle to get a win but remain remarkably consistent in some tough spots. He will try an extended distance for a first time this Saturday. The classy veteran merits serious consideration for a top prize.

Hard not like Masterm’s Royal Shadow (#4, 6-1) from all-world sire Galileo. I’m sure it’s a joy to own a consistent colt like this one. A nice building campaign at three which led to a Stakes victory in October. A dominant string of races during the 4-year-old season. After establishing a speed badge of 120 in defeat in the Sussex. The bay has now rattled off three straight Graded wins. The final one a gritty Grade 1 win in Ireland’s Champion Stakes. Lots of terrific and expensive horse flesh were behind Shadow that day. It seems they’ve planned nicely for this spot and if he finds his top speed they won’t touch him.

Echo in Eternity (#12, 7-1) brings front-end speed to the party for Peeps Stable. The light grey colt just missed two back in the 10 panel Eclipsed. But the speed badge of 120 is enough to power anybody’s hot sauce. Last time out the son of Sea the Stars hit front in the Champion Stakes but was caught late and a few wondered if M.Wallace made his move too soon. Whatever happened could all be righted on Saturday as this improving colt will be one of the toughest to beat.

If you have a long distance grass race which exudes class and prestige then no doubt Kawasake Pursuit (#5, 7-1) will be in the gate. The machine on four-legs has danced with everyone. Routinely shows and takes down big prizes as long as your turf is green. He’s run eleven times in Graded turf stakes races since June 2021. Has the 5-year-old son of Churchill lost a step. Hardly! This guy is better now. His 2023 campaign has been terrific and his earnings now stand at $2.8m. Four back a smashing win in the Vctoria Cup established a new 119 speed badge. Since then edge finishes in three Grade 1 races all around this distance. His previous Grade 1 win came in 2021 but I would not rule out another win photo for Gunners and Kawasake Pursuit.

Given has speedy Blood Theatre (#9, 5-1) as a co-choice in the market for Saturday’s plate. The gelded son of Teofilo has won 6 of his last 15 and he became a Grade 3 winner last time out in the Sweden. Three 117 speed figures and a race at 116 mark this guys form this season. This type of power and consistency will serve him well as he steps into a Grade 1 event.

Salaparuta brings Panhispanico (#6, 14-1) off the bench for a chance at this beautiful plate. The son of Dubawi is always thinking win. Sometimes it means he’ll be off the board but with 7 lifetime turf wins this bay colt is earning respect. An early season win streak on Ireland’s turf course was halted when the connections sent him to New Zealand for an important race. In May, all was right again as the colt won a stakes race with a 117 speed badge. The colt was given a five month freshening and now he appears ready to start fall campaign.

I don’t want to talk out of turn but was Coopermind (#7, 7-1) a misclick during June. I mean I’ve done it here and other places. I mean one time on Poker Stars in a huge tournament and all of a sudden it’s time to hit the rail. But enough about those old scars. What happened with Coopermind? Speed at ten furlongs is his thing and he does it well even if sometimes it’s against claimers. But in June he was in for just $2k. Folks this guy is a 15-time winner. When Playstation Stables took over the gelded son of Lonhro turned another corner. Winning in Germany with a new speed badge of 116 was followed by an easy-ish win in the Grade 3 Cup of Europe. Punters are in full respect now with this guy at 7’s for his biggest race yet.

Deyoto Stables Moukoko (#3, 10-1) arrives in Australia for the Plate. The bay colt not the German footballer. The son of Snitzel broke a slump in style with a convincing open lengths win in the Grade 3 I Can’t Rhyme. He was showing breakout form last year at this time but tailed off. After a freshening period in the Spring this colt has come back to the track stronger and he’s finishing his races with my purpose. Last time out is the evidence and the 116 speed was enough for the connections to move forward into this tough assignment.

Corzak’s From the Star (#14, 11-1) is the only runner in the field returning to the Plate from last season. He seemed to enter last year’s edition in good form and ran well to be 6^th. You do figure the connections were expecting more from the son of Sea the Stars. He’s struggled to find consistent form since then. The Movieland Turf was encouraging as he was up close and still trying hard in the late stages. The last time tries in tough Grade 1 company were not good and this race isn’t any easier.

The beautifully named Deep Shitake (#1, 20-1) for the Xfactor barn comes into the Coxless as an outsider. The 6-year-old took a 115 speed badge many months ago and hasn’t quite got back to it. He’s struggled through a 1 for 6 season with the lone tally coming five back in a UAE Allowance race. He runs best close to the pace and will be hoping the speed burnsout and he’s the first run late.

The punters seem to think Tenpoint’s Xceptiontotherule (#11, 34-1) might not be as good on the firm going Saturday. The longshot went over a yielding turf course last time out when 3^rd in the Grade 1 Big Red. The Camelot colt increased his speed badge to 115 in the process and the connections are excited to test the colt against better in Australia. The lightly raced 3-year-old tackles older here but he’s progressing the right way and was given extra time to recover and point to this difficult test.

Ianwhipkey Stables has a lightly raced 3-year-old in Joyful Swim (#8, 19-1). The son of Kitten’s Joy looked like a million bucks, actually $900k, when winning the Grade 1 Jockey Club on May 21. He stepped into some very important races after and hit the edges a few times. He was pointed to the Irish Derby as a huge part of his campaign but he faded late. He’s looked better since and last month took a new speed badge of 114 when fourth in the Early Months Stakes.

Colt Saunders (#13, 33-1) from Stoners Stable is another colt fresh off a 114 speed badge. The Gun Runner colt started his 3-year-old season a perfect 3-for-3 with a smashing Stakes score and a hard fought Grade 3 win in the Goodyear. I’m not sure of the quality in that race but it’s hard to knock how this colt came out of it. He was a close fourth in a South African Grade 1 and tuned up for this with a new best speed. He must keep improving and now he must do it against older in this tough spot.

Crandy stables has Americain Cape (#10, 31-1) a 3-year-old Australian bred ready for the Coxless. The colt is a four-time winner this season but those wins have usually been followed with poor performances. Maybe he’s lacking the concistency gene we hear so much about. You can’t knock his prepping. On September 16^th he toyed with an Allowance group to win as he pleased while earning a new speed badge of 112.