Ladbrokes Cox Plate favourite Mystic Journey will bypass the Group 1 $1 million Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield this weekend and have her next-up run at Flemington over the mile in the 2019 Makybe Diva Stakes.
Ladbrokes Cox Plate favourite Mystic Journey runs next-up in Flemington’s Makybe Diva Stakes 2019. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Tasmanian trainer Adam Trinder confirmed this week on Twitter his star mare will not face off against the likes of Alizee in the Memsie.
Instead she treks towards October’s Group 1 $5 million Cox Plate (2040m) via the Group 1 $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) on September 14.
“She won’t take her opportunity in the Memsie next Saturday, the decision has been made to bypass that event,” Trinder said.
“I just feel moving forward she is better off going straight to the 1600 (metres) of the Makybe Diva there at Flemington.
“That will just give her a good foundation, there is options to shorten up her preparation post that run.
“But just at the start of the preparation with us having missed the Bletchingly (Stakes) and changing plans to go to the Lawrence, I feel she is better placed with a month between runs straight out to the mile.
“We will just let her float along down here in Tassie with no fanfare, she enjoys the quiet environment down here.”
The brilliant Needs Further four-year-old cemented her spot at the top of Cox Plate 2019 betting at Ladbrokes.com.au saluting for the punters first-up at Caulfield earlier this month in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m).
How the form of that race will stack-up over the spring will be known this weekend with the brave runner-up Cliff’s Edge and third placegetter Hartnell doing battle in the Memsie Stakes field 2019.
One of the current fairy-tale stories of Australian racing, bargain buy Mystic Journey has already won over $3.8 million in prize money.
She made history twice over the autumn carnival in Melbourne, firstly by becoming the first Tasmanian-trained Group 1 winner in over a century when taking out the Australian Guineas (1600m).
The filly then backed-up, returning to the Flemington mile that she will also contest the Makybe Diva Stakes over, to become the inaugural All-Star Mile winner of the $5 million Special Condition feature beating Hartnell (2nd) and Alizee (3rd).
The bookies are taking no chances with Mystic Journey next race, the four-year-old dominating all-in Makybe Diva Stakes betting at $2 through Ladbrokes.com.au.
She is also well-supported to take the spot vacated by the now retired four-time champion Winx and win the 2019 Ladbrokes Cox Plate on October 26 at The Valley as the early $4.80 top elect.
