Australia: Verry Elleegant will need to pick it up in Cox Plate

Verry Elleegant, the reigning Horse of the Year in Australia, was the 5-1 third choice in the middle of the week for Saturday’s Group 1 Cox Plate, and with good reason.

The 6-year-old Verry Elleegant has not performed like a champion in advance of a start in the $3.74 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne.

Since the Australian season began Aug. 1, Verry Elleegant has a single win in three starts, including a quiet fourth by 3 1/2 lengths as the even-money favorite behind the red-hot Incentivise in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on Oct. 2 at Flemington Racecourse.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing

Earlier this week, trainer Chris Waller told Australian media that Verry Elleegant, a New Zealand-bred mare, did not show her typical robust appetite before the Turnbull, but that she had rebounded in recent weeks.

The Cox Plate, run at about 1 1/4 miles, is Australia’s leading weight-for-age race. The race has drawn a field of 10, and Verry Elleegant is not the only top contender with a surprising loss last out.

Zaaki won five consecutive stakes, including two Group 1 races, from early May to late September at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 3/8 miles before finishing third by 1 3/4 lengths as the 2-5 favorite in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on Oct. 9.

Jockey James McDonald rode Zaaki to his first four wins of the streak at tracks in the states of New South Wales and Queensland, and will be allowed to ride the Cox Plate in the state of Victoria after the Australian government recently changed rules related to state-to-state travel during the pandemic.

Zaaki was the 2-1 favorite as of Wednesday, a slight choice over the 3-year-old colt Anamoe at 7-2. Anamoe, by Street Boss, has won 5 of 10 starts, including the Grade 1 Caulfield Guineas at a mile on Oct. 9 as the even-money favorite. Anamoe closed from well off the pace to win by a half-length. The Cox Plate is his first start at 1 1/4 miles.

The Cox Plate is the first start in the Southern Hemisphere for State of Rest, winner of the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby at 1 3/16 miles at 21-1 on Aug. 7 for Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien. This will be a new distance for State of Rest, who was 12-1 on Wednesday.

Moonee Valley has a 10-race program beginning at 9:15 p.m. Eastern, or 6:15 p.m. Pacific, on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney has a 10-race program beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. The card is led by The Invitation, a new race for fillies and mares at seven furlongs worth $1.49 million.

The race is topped by Entriviere, a 5-year-old mare has won 6 of 9 starts in Australia and New Zealand. She closed from last of nine to be third by three-quarters of a length in the Group 2 Golden Pendant Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs on Sept. 25 at Rosehill Gardens.