Australia: Fields of Omagh upsets

Fields of Omagh, a 15-1 shot who had come back from two serious injuries, defeated Defier by a neck to win the Group 1, $2.1 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in Australia. Lonhro, the 1-2 favorite, finished third.

The South African mare Paraca set a fast pace in the Cox Plate, run on turf made soft by heavy rain. Fields of Omagh and jockey Steven King took the lead with a quarter-mile to run in the 1 1/4-mile race and Defier chased them home. Trained by Tony McEvoy, Fields of Omagh finished the race in 2:07.60 and paid $32 to win.

For Lonhro, it was his second straight loss as the favorite in the Cox Plate. He finished sixth last year. Lonhro had won nine out of his last 10 races and six straight Group 1 stakes.