Aeliana backed into favouritism for VRC Champions Stakes
Champion jockey James McDonald describes Saturday’s Group 1 VRC Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington as a rerun of last month’s Cox Plate.
One minor difference is that Saturday’s race will be run over 2000m, while the W.S. Cox Plate was moved to Flemington as Moonee Valley undergoes a major redevelopment and the weight-for-age feature was kept at its traditional distance of 2040m.
Seven of Saturday’s runners raced in the W.S. Cox Plate – Cosmic Crusader, Light Infantry Man, Attrition, Sir Delius, Land Legend, Aeliana and Birdman.
The “newcomers” in the 11-horse field are Treasurethe Moment, Sabaj, Omni Man and rank outsider Von Hauke, who tackles 2000m for the first time.
Andrea Leek-trained Cosmic Crusader, who has drawn barrier 11, finished strongly in last month’s feature, narrowly downing Chris Waller pair Birdman and Aeliana.
McDonald is again back in the saddle on Aeliana, and Ben Melham retains the ride on Birdman.
In what he describes as an extremely competitive feature and a rerun of the Cox Plate, McDonald hopes the sequel will have a different ending this time around.
He said Cosmic Crusader, who will again be ridden by William Pike, is a superb horse who holds narrow favouritism over his mount, Aeliana, despite being crunched into 2.60 favourite with Australian betting sites.
McDonald also has champion Autumn Glow in the G1 VRC Champions Mile (1600m) as the mare bids to enhance her outstanding record of 14 wins from 15 starts, with her only blemish a third in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in April when she struggled at her first race beyond 1609m.
This will be her first race outside Sydney, and she must handle Melbourne’s left-handed way of going.
“She is very good and she hasn’t put a foot wrong really,” McDonald said. “Her form is impeccable, so it’s another challenge going left-handed but I’m sure she’ll cope with that okay.”
Waller also has Lindermann and Buckaroo in the race.
Chad Schofield will ride Ciaron Maher’s Tempted in the G1 VRC Champions Sprint (1200m). The mare ended Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising’s 21-race winning streak in the G1 The Everest (1200m).
With 10 wins, two seconds and two thirds from 15 starts, McDonald, who will continue to ride Joliestar this weekend, said she was obviously a great horse. “I think it is at her mercy,” he said.
Melbourne Cup (3200m)-winning pair Maher and Ethan Brown is hoping to cause another upset with front-running Land Legend, who finished last in the Cox Plate, but broke the 2000m Caulfield track record two starts ago when he led from start to finish to narrowly defeat Sheza Alibi in the G1 Might And Power (Caulfield Stakes) (2000m).
Maher also has another front-runner in the race, Light Infantry Man, who is a track and distance specialist, but was second-last in the W.S. Cox Plate.
Gai Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, was disappointed with Sir Delius’ near five-length sixth in the W.S. Cox Plate.
“He’s better than what we saw from him today, but we will live to fight another day,” Waterhouse said after the race.
“As (jockey) Craig (Williams) said, the winner has come through the Caulfield Cup and is rock-hard fit.”
Visiting Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien had no luck in the Melbourne Cup with his five runners but is hoping for a change of fortune with Omni Man, who finished third in the G3 Geelong Cup (2400m).
Cranbourne-based trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have always had great faith in their Manhattan Rain gelding Sabaj, who broke through for a Listed 1800m win at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day for his first victory in nearly 12 months.
Treasurethe Moment returns after her seventh in the G1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), and trainer Matt Laurie is hoping the addition of blinkers for the first time will help land a fifth Group 1 victory.
