Aidan O’Brien’s gun Irish galloper Highland Reel shapes up as a genuine 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate rival for mighty mare Winx after his dominant Prince Of Wales’s Stakes win at Royal Ascot.
Class Irish galloper Highland Reel could be Moonee Valley-bound this October to take on Winx in the 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The talented Coolmore-raced Galileo stallion enjoyed his second win on the trot for the month with Melbourne Cup winning hoop Ryan Moore guiding him to a one and a quarter-length win over Decorated Knight (2nd) and Ulysses (3rd) in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (1810m) at Royal Ascot on Day 2.
Highland Reel, who provide his versatility with the powerhouse win dropping back from form over the mile and a half, is a serious chance to travel down under this Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival tackling the $3 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) for the second time.
The horse now sits third in the list of Europe’s all-time prize money earners trailing only Cirrus Des Aigles and Treve.
In 2015 O’Brien, who celebrated his 300th Group 1 win with Wednesday’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes result, brought over the gun galloper who lined-up as a $6 chance in markets on the Moonee Valley feature.
Highland Reel was brave in defeat, but was no match for Chris Waller’s winning mare Winx finishing five and a half-lengths back third in Australasia’s weight-for-age classic.
Winx went on to successfully defend her Cox Plate title last season with an historic eight length success over the Godolphin-raced Hartnell.
The Hall of Famer is now at prohibitive Cox Plate odds in the futures markets at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au to Kingston Town as the only other triple champion of the race when the 2017 edition runs on October 28.
Pre-nomination Ladbrokes Cox Plate betting has Winx at $1.50, with Highland Reel now the equal $15 second elect along with the Japanese-trained Deep Impact three-year-old Makahiki.
O’Brien is now stranger to Cox Plate success having prepared the race’s first ever Northern Hemisphere-trained winner Adelaide back in 2014 who was ridden by Moore.
Since his Cox Plate defeat two years back, Highland Reel has gone from strength to strength posting five Group 1 victories including a trio over 2400m in the past 12 months alone.
Highland Reel is one of eight international Cox Plate invitees by the Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) this year as are Wednesday’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes runner-up Decorated Knight and the fifth-placed Scottish raced by Godolphin.
The Roger Charlton-trained Decorated Knight is listed as a $34 shot in Cox Plate markets after his brave Royal Ascot second, which followed a Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup (2011m) win back in February.
Charlie Appleby’s Teofilo gelding Scottish also pays $34 to make the trip down under and score a boilover Cox Plate result, the stayer having caught the eye in Melbourne last October when three lengths back second to Jameka in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
Scottish also features in futures Caulfield Cup 2017 betting markets at $26 to go one better this spring.
To check out the full early Group 1 spring racing odds online visit Ladbrokes.com.au today.
