Three-year-old Shamus Award has made all the running to win the $3 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
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A maiden going into the weight-for-age race, the Danny O’Brien-trained Shamus Award staved off a desperate lunge from Happy Trails to score by a half head.
Fiorente was a long neck away third with Foreteller finishing fourth.
One of the outsiders, Shamus Award’s victory gave champion apprentice jockey Chad Schofield his first Group One success.
Shamus Award held the inside running to the first turn and maintained a solid gallop.
He edged away from Fiorente turning into the straight and looked set for a clear-cut victory until Happy Trails unwound with his finish.
Shamus Award only made it into the Cox Plate field when the headline mare Atlantic Jewel was scratched.
It was the only piece of fortune the colt needed, according to O’Brien.
“Today we just got our chance to get out there and make our own luck and show what a good colt this is,” O’Brien said.
“He could of easily been a Guineas winner and a Cox Plate winner, but we’re pretty happy to take the Cox Plate.”
New Zealand star It’s A Dundeel finished unplaced after being trapped wide for most of the race.
| Race 10 – 5:40PM Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040 METRES) |
|---|
| Of $3,000,000.1st $1,800,000, 2nd $440,000, 3rd $220,000, 4th $130,000, 5th $110,000, 6th $100,000, 7th $100,000, 8th $100,000 GROUP 1 Standard Weight for Age, Three-Years-Old and Upwards, Apprentices cannot claim.Track Condition: Good 3 Time: 2:05.27 Last 600m: 0:36.17 INTERIM RESULTSOffical Comments: Dead Heat for 9th. |
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| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15e | SHAMUS AWARD | Danny O’Brien | Chad Schofield (a) | 3 | 49.5kg | $21 | |||
| 2 | 2 | HAPPY TRAILS | Byron Cozamanis | Dwayne Dunn | 0.1L | 2 | 59kg | $12 | ||
| 3 | 3 | FIORENTE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse | Blake Shinn | 0.5L | 14 | 59kg | $8 | ||
| 4 | 4 | FORETELLER (GB) | Chris Waller | Craig Newitt | 1.25L | 8 | 59kg | $21 | ||
| 5 | 12 | SUPER COOL | Mark Kavanagh | Corey Brown | 3.25L | 13 | 57.5kg | $18 | ||
| 6 | 5 | SIDE GLANCE (GB) | Andrew Balding | Craig Williams | 4L | 1 | 59kg | $41 | ||
| 7 | 6 | SEVILLE (GER) | Robert Hickmott | Hugh Bowman | 5.5L | 9 | 59kg | $31 | ||
| 8 | 11 | IT’S A DUNDEEL (NZ) | Murray Baker | James McDonald | 5.7L | 12 | 57.5kg | $4F | ||
| 9 | 14 | LONG JOHN | Peter Snowden | Kerrin McEvoy | 7.45L | 10 | 49.5kg | $7 | ||
| 9 | 1 | GREEN MOON (IRE) | Robert Hickmott | Brett Prebble | 7.45L | 11 | 59kg | $12 | ||
| 11 | 10 | MULL OF KILLOUGH (IRE) | Jane Chapple-Hyam | Steven Arnold | 7.55L | 4 | 59kg | $41 | ||
| 12 | 8 | PUISSANCE DE LUNE (IRE) | Darren Weir | Ben Melham | 10.55L | 7 | 59kg | $5.50 | ||
| 13 | 9 | MASKED MARVEL (GB) | Robert Hickmott | Michael Rodd | 11.3L | 5 | 59kg | $31 | ||
| 14 | 7 | REKINDLED INTEREST | Jim Conlan | Mark Zahra | 13.3L | 6 | 59kg | $51 | ||
| 13 | ATLANTIC JEWEL | Mark Kavanagh | Michael Rodd | 0 |