Leading trainers unconcerned over potential Cox Plate shift

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Various reports surfaced on Tuesday morning suggesting that a number of feature races, including the time-honoured Cox Plate, could potentially be moved in a bid to extend the Melbourne spring carnival into late November.

The rumoured changes would see the Cox Plate moved back from October 28 to November 25, while sprint features like the G1 Moir S. and G1 Manikato S., as well as the G1 Memsie S. and G1 Thousand Guineas, could also be on the move as part of the revamp.

The past two Melbourne Cup winners have come through the Cox Plate before going on to Cup glory, something that would no longer be possible should the proposed changes be implemented.

That was not a cause for concern for David Eustace, the trainer of reigning Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) in partnership with Ciaron Maher, who feels racing participants need only look at the current strength of Australian racing before dismissing any potential tweaks to the spring program.

“To be honest, I haven’t given it a whole lot of thought, but what I would say in general is that Australian racing is happy to try different things to engage and expand the sport, and credit to them, because the sport is certainly benefiting from that,” Eustace told TDN AusNZ.

“We should all be open-minded in trying different things. I’m not saying I’m vehemently for or against what has been proposed, but I’m certainly not against trying different things.”

Should the proposed changes be given the green light, there is likely to be big ramifications for overseas-trained horses with Cox Plate ambitions, particularly those based in Europe.

Eustace is not convinced it will necessarily impact them negatively, however, with a move potentially opening the door for overseas horses to compete at other major race meetings around the world.

“Without looking at fixed dates, it might mean that you could run on Champions Day in England and then in the Cox Plate,” he said.

“You also might be able to run in the Cox Plate and then go onto Hong Kong, and depending on what date it is, it could mean that you could run in the Breeders’ Cup and then the Cox Plate.”

Making amends

One horse who will almost certainly have his sights on the Cox Plate in the spring is Melbourne Cup hero Gold Trip, who endured a luckless passage when finishing ninth in last year’s renewal prior to his triumph in the race that stops the nation.

The 6-year-old entire, who is raced by an Australian Bloodstock-assembled syndicate, also ran in both the G1 Turnbull S. and G1 Caulfield Cup during last year’s spring carnival, and Eustace is confident that changing the Cox Plate’s position in the calendar will not hinder his charge’s prospects of making amends in 2023.

“The Cox Plate is certainly on the agenda for Gold Trip, and he took a path last year which suggests that it doesn’t really matter where the races are in the calendar, he’d be able to perform at a good level,” he said.

“He ran in all three majors close together and was able to perform at a decent level.”

Eustace does, however, feel that potential date changes should be considered for both the G1 Moir S. and G1 Manikato S., races which the stable won last year courtesy of Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) and Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai).

“I do think the sprints certainly need looking at, but quite how that is supposed to be I’m not sure,” he said. “The Everest has put a spanner in the works there, but a good spanner all the same.

“The tricky part is the spring is the jewel in the crown and it is quite condensed, which I think captures people who are not regularly involved in racing because it doesn’t go on too long.”

‘I’m going to try and win it’

Mick Price, who trains last year’s Cox Plate runner-up I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking) in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, is similarly unperturbed about the prospect of a spring carnival revamp.

The dual Group 1 winner, who also landed the $7.5 million Golden Eagle in 2021, will still be set on a path to the Cox Plate according to Price, particularly if the Moonee Valley showpiece receives the mooted prizemoney boost to $8 million.

“It doesn’t worry me, you just work your way around it,” Price told TDN AusNZ.

“It will impact the Sydney autumn, I would have thought, as you can’t keep turning your horses around, they’ll need a longer break. But it’s going to be a destination race, so if you want to win it that’s what you’ve got to do.

“The standard whinge in the industry will be ‘if it’s not broken don’t fix it’, but who’s to say that it’s not a better idea? The racing administrators will have researched it and will have their reasons, there are two sides to every story.

“Next year there is going to be $20 million in prizemoney over two days at the Magic Millions, it’s insane. But it’s there to win, and it’s what is driving the industry.

“I think Australia probably has the best racing model in the world. Would it matter if the Cox Plate is moved to two weeks after the carnival? I can only say that if it’s for eight million dollars, I’m going to try and win it.”

‘Premature and speculative’

Last month Moonee Valley Racing Club’s chief executive Michael Browell was quoted as saying “A pretty compelling offer” would be needed from Racing Victoria to consider any plans to move the Cox Plate, while Victoria Racing Club’s chief executive Steve Rosich was quick to quash any suggestion that the changes had progressed past the consultation stage.

“(Tuesday’s) media reports are premature and speculative, with the Club and industry consultation process ongoing with Racing Victoria,” Rosich told News Corp.