Nominations for this year’s 2019 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) closed on Tuesday with a bumper line-up of just under 200 hopefuls looking to earn a spot in the $5 million race at Moonee Valley on October 26.

Four-year-old mare Mystic Journey heads this year’s home hopefuls for trainer Adam Trinder on the back of not only six straight wins but a successful Autumn campaign that saw a maiden Group 1 win in the Australian Guineas (1600m) and a dominant victory in the inaugural All-Star Mile.

Trinder’s star mare trialled at Davenport on Tuesday morning, a jump out that left Trinder with plenty of confidence in this year’s Cox Plate betting favourite ahead of the Spring.

“She’s progressing along really well, we just let her flow along at the back of the field, just very easy extension late and she showed good determination, nice and fluent in her action and nice enthusiasm in her demeanour,” Trinder told Ladbrokes.com.au.

Mystic Journey looks to make it seven straight wins first-up at Caulfield in a fortnight’s time. Photo Credit: Ultimate Racing Photos.

“We just wanted her to have a day out and take a bit of nervous energy away from her. She was pencilled in to kick off two weeks ago in the Bletchingly, she’s been a little bit stagnant in her preparation, so we’ve taken our foot off the accelerator and just let her idle. She came here with a little bit of nervous energy so today’s exercise will suit her well in the future I trust.”

Mystic Journey will return to the races in a fortnight’s time in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. From there, Trinder plans to target the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) on September 14 before tackling the Cox Plate a month later at The Valley.

“We’ll assess off the back of a run there (PB Lawrence) as to, a) her performance and b) her recovery, and we’ll just assess if she needs to run in the Memsie or go straight to the Makybe Diva over a mile with a month  between runs,” Trinder went on to say.

Also featuring in this year’s Cox Plate 2019 nominations was an influx of Western Australian horses, namely Chris Waller’s Kingston Town winner Arcadia Queen, and Jarrod McLean’s Trap For Fools – who has claimed two wins at Moonee Valley in the past.

As for the internationals, Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck looks headed for Australian shores, making up a total of 27 overseas hopefuls looking to win in the aftermath of Winx’s four-year dominance.

Japanese stayer Kluger has also accepted The Valley’s invitation.

It’s also no surprise to see 10 of Godolphin’s best chances nominated, including Ranvet and Tancred Stakes winner Avilius.

Head to the race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au now for the updated Cox Plate 2019 odds and offers.