Another shot at the 2011 Cox Plate is likely for Whobegotyou

Another shot at Australia’s richest weight-for-age showdown, the 2011 Cox Plate, is now likely for Mark Kavanagh’s champion five-year-old Whobegotyou after their hard fought win in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday, March 12.

Street Cry gelding Whobegotyou is on song for a spot in the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) field again this year when the Moonee Valley showpiece runs on Saturday October 22, 2011 after scoring his maiden Flemington win in the Blamey Stakes.

Whobegotyou has had two runs in the Cox Plate finishing a game sixth to So You Think in 2009 beaten four lengths after drawing wide with barrier 10 and the winner allocated just 49.5kg while Whobegotyou carried 57.5kg.

In last year’s Cox Plate Whobegotyou improved on his result from the previous year, finishing 1 1/2 lengths away third to the then Bart Cummings-trained star So You Think on October 23.

A dual Group 1 winner having taken out the 2008 Caulfield Guineas at just his sixth career start, Whobegotyou’s second elite level win came in the spring of 2009 where backing up from a narrow defeat by Heart Of Dreams in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m), Whobegotyou dug deep and won the Group 1 Yalumba Stakes (2000m) this time defeating Heart Of Dreams at Caulfield on October 10, 2009.

During Whobegotyou’s spring preparation last season, the weight-for-age champ won the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) before running third to So You Think in both the 2010 Yalumba Stakes and 2010 Cox Plate.

Whobegotyou now looks to have more than just a rough chance in the 2011 Cox Plate with So You Think unlikely to come back to defend his title and veteran Zipping, who ran second ahead of Whobegotyou last year, also a doubtful contender.

“The Cox Plate looks very winnable with the two horses that beat him home last year perhaps out of contention,” Kavanagh commented post Whobegotyou’s Blamey Stakes win.

Whoebegotyou resumed racing this year running a gallant first-up second to More Joyous in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 26.

Then, last Saturday he was back in the winners’ circle hitting the line hard to claim a narrow win of Dao Dao in the Blamey Stakes at Flemington.

Before his shot at the 2011 Cox Plate, Whobegotyou will take on More Joyous again this autumn in the $2 million Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 16.

Leading online bookmaker Luxbet have Whobegotyou as the $7 second favourite in their 2011 Doncaster Mile odds behind top elect More Joyous at a quote of $2.90.

Other horses in the Luxbet Doncaster Mile betting markets include the Grahame Begg-trained colt Ilovethiscity ($11) who won the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Warwick Farm on the weekend, Blamey Stakes runner-up Dao Dao ($13) and last defending champion Rangirangdoo ($13) set to resume racing this Saturday March 19 in the $175,000 Group 2 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill against More Joyous.

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Photo courtesy (c) Taron Clarke Photography