2018 Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day Preview

The Inglis Banner is always a tough betting race and the majority of this field are set to make their racing debuts. It is an impossible race to bet into with any real confidence, but Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott won the race with Setsuna 12 months ago and they have another runner this year in the form of Espaaniyah. She trialled nicely at Royal Randwick and the Waterhouse/Bott team have already had a juvenile winner this season. The I Am Invincible filly is worth a gamble in what is an open race.

1 Unit Espaaniyah

There are a stack of winning chances in what is a very open betting race. You can make a case for the majority of this field, but Nasdex is a serious talent and it would not surprise if he has been set for this contest. His record over these shortcourse sprints is excellent and he is a horse with plenty of speed. He can make his own luck right on the speed and he is more than capable of a high-rating performance on his day.

1 Unit Nasdex

She hasn’t had a great deal of luck since she came to Melbourne and this does look like an ideal race for Savatiano. There is no doubt that she would have been very tough to beat with clear running in the Blazer Stakes and this is  genuine drop in class. Kerrin McEvoy should be able to settle her right on the speed from barrier four and she gives the impression that The Valley will not be a problem. She does look to have a clear class edge over the rest of this field and she looks like the best bet of the day.

5 Units Savatiano

This is one of the trickiest races of the day from a betting perspective and there are a host of winning chances. Into The Abyss is a horse that has more talent than her current record suggests and she had no luck whatsoever first-up in the Thoroughbred Club Club, where she was caught three wide. She maps to get a much better run in transit in this contest and I think she has more upside than the majority of her rivals in this field.

1  Unit Into The Abyss

Sunset Watch led from start to finish to record a smart win at The Valley first-up and the form coming out of that race has been strong. He has now recorded three wins from his five race starts and he still has the scope to improve on that first-up performance. Dwayne Dunn will be able to take him straight to the front from the nice barrier draw and he will give his rivals something to catch.

1.5 Units Sunset Watch

There are a host of horses backing-up from the Thousand Guineas in this field and I think that is the right form line. The issue is finding the horse to follow from that race and, as the market suggests, this is a very open field.

El Dorado Dreaming’s run in the Thousand Guineas was too bad to be true and connections believe that the Caulfield track was too firm for her. She should appreciate the softer surface at The Valley and her best form does give her an edge over this field. The wide barrier draw could actually prove to be an advantage as Damian Lane will be able to get her up and running a long way from home.

She does have an electric turn-of-foot on her day and she can finish over the top of her rivals in the concluding stages of what is a very open race.

1.5 Units El Dorado Dreaming

Cliff’s Edge overraced in the early stages of the Toorak Handicap and he did well to tough it out to the finish in the concluding stages of the race. His win before that at Caulfield was excellent and he is a horse that has run well in The Valley in the past – he finished second behind Aloisia in the Moonee Valley Vase last year. John Allen should be able to get him across to take up a handy position in the early stages of the race and , he lets him roll, he will prove tough to catch.

1.5 Units Cliff’s Edge

This is the strongest edition of the Moonee Valley Gold Cup in a number of years and this is field with plenty of depth. Chris Waller won this race with Who Shot Thebarman 12 months ago and he has a very strong hand in this field once again. Egg Tart has proven to be a costly horse for punters this campaign, but she finally gets out to 2400 metres for the first time and I think that is the trip that she is looking for. She hasn’t been far away in races like the Hill Stakes and the Craven Plate and I think that she is a better chance than the $9 currently on offer suggests.

Libran is going much better than his current form suggests. He ran some of the best closing sectionals in The Metropolitan and he simply got too far back in the run. Hugh Bowman will be able to settle him closer to the speed from barrier two and he is a horse that is capable of sprinting off a slow tempo. Happy to back both Waller horses at their current odds, but this is a stellar race that is absolutely packed full of talent.

1 Unit Egg Tart

1 Unit Libran

History will be made at The Valley on Saturday as Winx attempts to claim a truly historic fourth straight win in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate. It should come as no surprise that Winx will start the Ladbrokes Cox Plate as a dominant odds-on favourite and you won’t find me betting against the great mare.

There is an argument to be made that she is going as well as ever and her win in the Turnbull Stakes had to be seen to be believed. She was in close to an impossible position at the top of the straight, but she once again showed her simply incredible acceleration and, in the end, it was a fairly soft win on the line. The small field should ensure that she doesn’t get as far back in the run and we have seen just how well she goes at The Valley. I’m now convinced that she is the best that we have ever seen in Australia and it is tough to see her getting beaten.

In saying that, if there is a horse in this field that can give her a battle it is Benbatl. He is a legitimate world class horse in his own right and he showed that he has settled into Australia with his tough win in the Ladbrokes Stakes. The scary thing for his rivals is that he should improve on that performance. I expect Oisin Murphy to take Benbatl straight to the front and I would not be surprised if they try to get Winx out of her comfort zone.

I’m not saying that Benbatl is capable of beating Winx, but I do think that he is clearly the second best horse in this race and he does represent value in our Winx Out Betting market, which is just one of a number of Winx Cox Plate specials that we have on offer.

This is truly a once in a lifetime moment and something that we will likely never see repeated, so simply enjoy the occasion!

3 Units Benbatl In The Winx Out Market

Aramayo has not produced a poor performance this campaign and he was only narrowly denied a maiden Group 1 victory in the Spring Champion Stakes in Sydney last start. The form coming out of that race was franked last weekend when Thinkin’ Big recorded a dominant win in the Caulfield Classic. The wide barrier draw isn’t an issue, but Aramayo does get back in the run anyway and the outside of the track might be the place to be after two days of racing.

Dealmaker is a horse with x-factor. He has had a disrupted preparation, but the fact that Chris Waller has kept him in work suggests that he is going fairly well. Damien Oliver gave him a shocking ride in the Spring Champion Stakes and he would have finished closer to the winner with even luck in running.

2 Units Aramayo

1 Unit Dealmaker