Hartnell has firmed in his price to beat home glamour mare Winx in this afternoon’s Cox Plate 2016 at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
Money is coming in Cox Plate 2016 betting for Harntell to score the upset win at Moonee Valley. Photo: Steve Hart.
Earlier in the week all the big bets were on the Chris Waller-trained Australian Racehorse of the Year and defending champ Winx to secure back-to-back wins in the $3 million Group 1 W.S. Cox Plate (2040m).
There is no denying that a Winx win in the Cox Plate results – to be determined at 5:00pm (AEDT) today – will all but send the bookies broke.
She has eased out slightly though in the updated Cox Plate odds at Ladbrokes.com.au from $1.80 to $1.85.
The punters cleaned up in the Cox Plate from 1979 – 1990 when 10 of the 12 favourites saluted for the punters.
Since then there has been 25 editions of the weight-for-age classic run and won, and just six top fancies in Cox Plate betting have saluted.
In the last 10 years only So You Think ($1.50 in 2010) and Winx ($4.60 in 2015) have been successful.
The value then could be following the money trail on the John O’Shea-trained Hartnell to upset Winx in their fourth encounter.
She has more than had the six-year-old’s measure in all three rounds leading up to the Cox Plate clash, including his fifth in the race 12 months ago.
This time however the imported galloper is firing on all cylinders and shapes up as a worthy opponent, despite the concerns his trainer has over how he handles the tight Valley circuit.
Hartnell has come in from $3.70 to $3.50 in the latest Cox Plate betting markets and is the only other single-figure hope outside the odds-on favourite.
The punters have shied away from all other hopes in the Cox Plate field this spring opening up the Each Way and Place bets as well as Cox Plate exotics.
The next best in betting is the filly Yankee Rose ($14 out to $16) who is racing in Melbourne for the first time after posting the nice win over the boys in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m).
No denying history is against the David Vandyke-trained daughter of All American to win, but a Cox Plate trifecta placing is well within her reach.
Since 1990 just four fillies have taken on the older horses in the Cox Plate and two of those officially finished third: Slight Chance (1992) and Samantha Miss (2008).
The other player in the Cox Plate markets at a more generous price by the minute is the French raider Vadamos ($14 out to $19).
To date the only international Cox Plate winner was Adelaide (2014), but a case can certainly be made for the Andre Fabre-trained Vadamos to him.
Read more on whether Vadamos has winning Cox Plate claims.
At a blowout price, Lucia Valentina ($21) could prove the value in Cox Plate bets this weekend, especially considering the Soft track rating at Moonee Valley.
Check out the latest Cox Plate Fixed Win Odds below, making sure to head to Ladbrokes.com.au to place your bets at the home of Enhanced Odds (T&Cs apply).
