October 22nd, 2008 - Cox Plate Horse Race Betting
Well, the Melbourne Cup carnival is in full swing.
Last weekend local punters saw the English stayer All The Good walk away with the $2.5 million Caulfield Cup.
The 6 year old, ridden by former Melbourne Cup winning hoop Kerrin McEvoy, saluted at 50-1 from the winner of this year’s AJC Derby, Nom De Jeu.
Barbaricus - which was completely unwanted in the betting - clung on to third place from the fast-finishing Kiwi, Mad Rush.
This weekend all eyes are on Moonee valley for the running of the $3 million W.S Cox Plate, over 2,040 metres.
It’s regarded as the world’s premier weight-for-age race.
Previous winners include the likes of champions Makybe Diva, Kingston Town, Phar Lap, Tulloch and Sunline.
Unfortunately, nothing contesting this year’s Cox Plate is of that calibre.
The favourite is the New Zealand mare Princess Coup.
But she’ll have the job ahead, from barrier nine.
Her jockey Opie Bosson has, unfortunately, made headlines in his home country after being embroiled in a drug testing investigation.
It’s understood fellow jockey Bruce Herd was asked to provide a urine sample for testing, but asked Bosson to provide it for him.
And it’s alleged Bosson did so.
The investigation into all of that is still on-going.
So Bosson has a bit to ride for.
But Princess Coup has got form on the board.
Two starts back she easily accounted for Nom De Jeu in the Stoney Bridge at Hastings.
And we all saw Nom Du Jeu’s performance in the Caulfield Cup last weekend.
Many would argue she only has to reproduce the Hastings run to figure prominently in the Cox Plate.
And then there’s the Sydney filly Samantha Miss - a recent winner of the Princess Series.
She’ll carry a postage stamp - 47.5 kilos, and she’s drawn beautifully in barrier two.
Her jockey Glen Boss hasn’t had the easiest of fortnights.
Boss has been forced to shed nearly 4 kilos to make the weight.
But, he says, he’ll be right come 4:05pm on Saturday.
Outside of Princess Coup and Samantha Miss, look for horses like Zipping, Master O’Reilly and Sirmione to be running on from a Melbourne Cup perspective.
And if the Gai Waterhouse runner Thesio turns in his Epsom Handicap run, he’ll be right in the finish.
So after all is said and done on Saturday, it’s on to Derby day the following week at Flemington.
And just three days later, it’s the race that stops the nation - the running of the 147th Melbourne Cup.
Source: Macquarie National News
