2023 Cox Plate Nominations: International Contenders and Local Powerhouses

Nominations closed for this year’s Cox Plate on August 8, with a total of 178 nominations for the $5,000,000 race to be held over 2040 meters at Moonee Valley on October 28. Among these nominations were 17 international entries, with Aiden O’Brien nominating 9 horses, while his father Joe nominated 3.

Two notable overseas nominated horses are:

Deauville Legend: Last year’s Melbourne Cup favorite, who finished 4th, beaten by 5 lengths in 2022. The 5-year-old has participated in two races since the cup. In his first outing, he secured the 4th position out of 7 at Ascot in The Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes on June 24. However, his recent performance at Ascot on July 29 was disappointing, finishing 9th out of 10, beaten by 68 lengths in the Group 1 King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. A review of the replay reveals that the horse struggled to keep up at the 1000-meter mark, making it hard for me to consider him for the Cox Plate based on that run. The horse is priced at $34 in the early market on Okebet, but the odds aren’t enticing enough for me to contemplate a bet.

Romantic Warrior: A Hong Kong superstar from Danny Shum’s stables, boasting an impressive race record of 10 wins out of 14 starts. Installed as the $4 favorite in the market, which appears reasonable considering his track record and the lack of local competition. The horse’s most significant victory was on December 22, 2022, in the Longines Hong Kong Cup, with James Macdonald aboard. Zac Purton has also claimed victory on the horse, adding to the intrigue about who will ride on the big day.

In the local scene, the Victorian powerhouse stable of Maher and Eustice has nominated 11 runners, while the immensely successful Chris Waller stable has put forward an impressive 26 nominations for this year’s Cox Plate.