TWO GOOD! Zahra wins back-to-back Melbourne Cups on Without a Fight as three horses pull up lame
Without a Fight completed the rare Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double on Tuesday as star jockey Mark Zahra went back-to-back in the big one after…
It’s Australia’s second-richest weight-for-age race, with $3 million on offer at the 2017 Cox Plate. The race is scheduled to get underway at 5pm (AEDT) on Saturday, October 28.
The race takes place at the Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne.
Winx is the unbackable favourite, at $1.02, to claim the Cox Plate, with Royal Symphony $19 and Gailo Chop $26 the only others picked to give Winx any form of trouble.
Hardham is the punter’s least likely, fetching odds of $151 to cross the line first.
Start time: approx. 5pm (AEDT)
Venue: Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne
No. | Horse | Barrier No. | Jockey | Trainer | Weight |
1 | Happy Clapper | 9 | Damien Oliver | Patrick Webster | 59kg |
2 | Galio Chop | 4 | Mark Zahra | Darren Weir | 59kg |
3 | Humidor | 8 | Blake Shinn | Darren Weir | 59kg |
4 | Kaspersky | 2 | Michelle Payne | Jane Chapple-Hyam | 59kg |
5 | Folkswood | 5 | Kerrin McEvoy | Charlie Appleby | 59kg |
6 | Seaburge | 1 | Regan Bayliss | David & Ben Hayes, Tom Dabernig | 57.5kg |
7 | Hardham | 3 | Luke Nolen | David Brideoake | 57.5kg |
8 | Winx | 6 | Hugh Bowman | Chris Waller | 57kg |
9 | Royal Symphony | 7 | Dean Yendall | Tony McEvoy | 49.5kg |
Jockey Hugh Bowman says he hasn’t yet settled on the best strategy for the big day.
“Now that the field is there and the barrier draw has been done I’ll be able to go through different scenarios of how I think the race might unfold and where I might like to be.
“But until we get here on race day and see how conditions are I won’t get too tied down in exactly what I’m going to do.
“But ultimately I’ll just let her be where she’s comfortable anyway and as much thought as I do put into it will probably all go out the window anyway when the gates open.”
Trainer Chris Waller said Winx’s preparation for the race had been ideal.
“The beauty of Winx is she makes our job easier. She’s an absolute professional and what you see on race day is what you see every day of the week with her.”