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Only sixteen weight-for-age hopefuls remain in the mix for the 2025 Ladbrokes Cox Plate following third acceptances taken on Tuesday.
The list of potential runners in the $6 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) has been notably culled with under 20 horses still officially heading towards the Australasian weight-for-age championship at The Valley on October 25.
2025 Cox Plate Third Acceptances: Quick Glance
- 16 first acceptances taken
- Melbourne Cup bound Sir Delius $2.80 favourite through Ladbrokes.com.au
- Last year’s champion Via Sistina eased out to second line of betting after her Turnbull Stakes third
- 5 remaining for Chris Waller chasing his sixth trophy
- 4 three-year-olds left in contention
With a field limit of 14 starters, the make-up of gallopers that will contest the event looks almost set in stone with a typically dominant hand to be played by the master trainer Chris Waller.
Waller currently has five of the 14 third acceptors chasing his sixth win in the classic including the defending queen, Via Sistina, who won last year’s event by an impressive eight lengths.
For the first time since then the eight-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock has been surpassed at the top of the all-in Cox Plate betting at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au following her defeat in last weekend’s Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m).
Via Sistina was third in the Turnbull behind the boom Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott trained import Sir Delius suffering back-to-back losses for the first time since her arrival down under.
Winner of the Underwood Stakes – Turnbull Stakes double this prep, the progressive and beautifully bred Frankel five-year-old Sir Delius has stamped himself as the new star of the season as he ultimately heads towards a shot at the Group 1 $10 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November.
Before he steps up to the two miles on November 4, Waterhouse & Bott are giving serious consideration to a Cox Plate bid and the bookies have reacted accordingly with Sir Delius now the outright $2.80 favourite to win.
Via Sistina, who also ran third in the Makybe Diva Stakes two back, has now eased out to the second line of Cox Plate betting at $3.20 to successfully defend her title and go back-to-back in the race for the first time since the stable’s four-time champion Winx (2015-18).
The other remaining Waller trained third acceptors are the autumn’s five-length ATC Derby winner Aeliana, Autumn Boy who contests the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) this weekend, fellow Caulfield Guineas hopeful Wodeton who ran second in the Golden Rose at his latest, and last year’s Caulfield Cup runner-up Buckaroo.
Autumn Boy and Wodeton meanwhile are two of four three-year-olds still entered to take on their older rivals along with Team Hawkes‘ Group 1 Champagne Stakes winner from the autumn Nepotism and the Kris Lees trained Rivellino.
Far from a two-horse race, the latest round of declarations also feature a host of other talented hopefuls that could steal the show including Tony Gollan‘s Doomben Cup winner Antino who ran a good second in the Turnbull behind Sir Delius and Matt Laurie‘s multiple Group 1 winning mare Treasurethe Moment who is working her way back to full fitness after a slight setback earlier this prep.
The official 2025 Ladbrokes Cox Plate final acceptances close at 8:30am (AEDT) on Tuesday the 21st of October.
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