2023 PB Lawrence Stakes Results: Cox Plate Hope Mr Brightside Salutes First-Up
Betting | Horse Racing Today | News | Race Results | Spring Racing | Winter Racing |The Ben, Will & JD Hayes-trained Cox...
Bart Cummings-trained superstar So You Think won today’s much anticipated $3million Cox Plate 2009 at Moonee Valley, proving once again there is no training triumph the Cups King cannot achieve.
Three-year-old So You Think, the baby of the race, set the pace early and held on strong to keep the lead right down the testing 2040m track, pulling off the impossible run and displaying speed and stamina many didn’t know he had.
In possibly Cummings’ greatest feat, So You Think ($12) was ridden by Glen Boss; the jockey reduced to tears after the victory having hoped for a place at best in the weight-for-age championship.
Prior to the race, commentators and punters expressed doubt over the young bay colt’s abilities, saying the lightweight was possibly underdeveloped but would mature into a future star. But now, with a coveted Cox Plate win to his name, So You Think’s star status has been achieved much sooner than anticipated.
Manhattan Rain ($19), one of two entries in the race for trainer Gai Waterhouse and the only other three-year-old, was second and a photo-finish was needed to determine third place, with last year’s runner-up the Steven Arnold-trained Zipping ($13) just ahead of eight-year-old El Segundo, the 2007 Cox Plate winner and oldest starter in today’s race, ($13) in fourth.
Mark Kavanagh-trained Whobegotyou was the clear favorite starting the race with odds as short as $2.60 but had a disappointing run, failing to place. Second favorite Heart Of Dreams ($7), who received a flood of money late in the week, also failed to live up to the high expectations.
The victory for Cummings highlighted that the Cox Plate is a purist race and comes down to the mastery of trainers and skillful tactics of the riders.
So You Think now boasts three wins from only five starts. It was the second Cox Plate win for Glen Boss, having won in 2005 aboard champion mare Makybe Diva. Cummings’ has won the Cox Plate with a three-year-old once before, with Taj rossie back in 1973.
13 runners contested the Cox Plate saw ideal conditions. Moonee Valley had perfect weather and the track was upgraded from a Dead 4 to a Good 3, drew one of the largest crowds at Moonee Valley in years.
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