Flemington will be the venue for a historic running of the Cox Plate this year.
The 106th running of the Moonee Valley Racing Club’s signature event is being held away from its traditional home at The Valley as the track undergoes a significant reconstruction.
Saturday’s 2040m weight-for-age championship has assembled an intriguing contest, and there has been considerable discussion this week regarding the strength of the Cox Plate field.
Considering the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne racing, it’s possible the Cox Plate is missing some top contenders due to the Golden Eagle taking place the following Saturday. However, it still promises to be a race for the ages, as it always is.
Ciaron Maher is aiming for his second Cox Plate victory, having previously won the race in a training partnership with David Eustace, with Sir Dragonet in the COVID-restricted 2020 edition.
The Maher stable has four runners this year: Light Infantry Man, Land Legend, Middle Earth, and Saint George. A stir was caused when Land Legend was the first to draw a barrier.
Instead of opting for a soft middle draw, Land Legend’s connections chose the extreme outside barrier, with Maher explaining the strategy.
“There will be more pressure in the Cox Plate,” Maher said.
“He will be there, but he’s got to get there in his own time, otherwise he lights up.
“I wanted to be outside Blind Raise and Light Infantry Man, and then when we came out first, I said to take the outside.
“I’m happy he’s there. He’ll end up running pretty solid sectionals, the same as Pride Of Jenni, and if he can get the first three furlongs right, it helps the rest of the race.
“If he runs to what he did last time, he will be competitive, and there isn’t any reason why he shouldn’t.”
Light Infantry Man has drawn immediately inside Land Legend and will be ridden by Harry Coffey, who guided him to his second Australian Cup victory in March.
“He’ll be right there, on speed,” Maher commented.
“He thrives on a good tempo as his best races are when he’s raced Jenni.
“He was super last start and he’s ready to run a huge race, and the harder the race, the better, and 2000 metres, at Flemington, is ideal.”
Both Saint George, who drew second, and Middle Earth, who drew ninth, are backing up from their runs in the Caulfield Cup with the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3 in their sights.
Both horses will be sporting a gear change on Saturday, with blinkers being applied.
Maher had previously backed up Middle Earth from the Caulfield Cup last year, after a similar finish, to run in the JRA Cup on the Cox Plate program over 2040m at The Valley.
“He ran his usual race last start, and I think he had the best sectionals through the line,” Maher noted.
“Caulfield, he doesn’t like, but I had to run him and back to the 2000 metres, we’ve put blinkers on, as he needs to find a little bit.
“Saint George, the Caulfield Cup was great.
“We’ve put the blinkers on, to make him that little bit more responsive and he needs a firm deck, so hopefully it doesn’t rain.
“He bounced out of his Caulfield Cup run. It wasn’t a very taxing run at all. He sat there and sprinted down the straight.”
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