One of Sydney’s premier trainers, Gai Waterhouse, is priming her five-time Group 1 winning superstar Theseo for an assault on the 2010 Cox Plate following the seven-year-olds’ impressive win over the weekend.

Danewin gelding Theseo claimed a smart second-up victory at Randwick on Saturday, beating a classy field of rivals in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m).

Theseo resumed racing for the spring season last month when finishing an eye-catching fifth to Metal Bender in the Warwick Stakes, but got one over the Chris Waller-trained gelding when beating Metal Bender in the Chelmsford.

The win ignited hope for Waterhouse that she can continue on and claim an elusive Cox Plate win with her weight-for-age warhorse Theseo, who has shortened dramatically in the 2010 Cox Plate betting markets open at [sportsbet].

Waterhouse also has another leading Cox Plate contender with her consistent mare More Joyous, but is focusing her attention of having Theseo at peak fitness to ‘run the race of his life’ on Cox Plate Day.

Theseo will stay on in Sydney to run in the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 25 before heading to Melbourne for the Cox Plate.

The first declarations for the 2010 Cox Plate will be taken at midday today, narrowing down the list of horses still in contention of making the Cox Plate Field, run on October 23 at Moonee Valley.

Theseo is sure to be at the very top of the first order of entry for the Cox Plate along with other early favourites including reigning champion So You Think and AJC Derby winner Shoot Out.

Races.com.au will publish the first order of entry for the Cox Plate along with those for the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups, also out today, moments after they are released so bookmark this page.

Our preferred online bookie [sportsbet] has briefly suspended betting on the major Group 1 features of the spring in anticipation of today’s first declarations, which are sure to shake up the odds.

Get ready to jump on your favourites for the 2010 Cox Plate, 2010 Caulfield Cup and 2010 Melbourne Cup when the betting resumes this afternoon by signing up with [sportsbet] now!