Cox Plate Preview and Tips 26/10/24

Another Saturday, another epic lineup of races and it doesn’t get much bigger than the Cox Plate, which is run at Moonee Valley Racecourse this Saturday. Not to be outdone, there are also two key races in Sydney this weekend, the Spring Champion Stakes and The Invitation, which are both run at Randwick Racecourse.

There’s no doubt that the Cox Plate is one of the biggest Group One races on the calendar and we always see some of the best racehorses step out for the chance to call themselves a Cox Plate champion. It’s a small field for the Cox Plate this year, but it is of extremely high quality. 

My Saturday tips have landed for the Cox Plate and it was a bit tricky this time as there are so many genuine contenders. I’ve gone through every runner in the field and analysed their chances and you can find all my best bets for the 2024 Cox Plate right here. So, let’s get cracking, shall we?

Once again, I think Pride Of Jenni leads here, as she usually does, even though it’s a quality field. Thanks to the likes of Pride Of Jenni, Royal Patronage and Docklands, who have fast barrier speed, I’m expecting the race to be at a fast pace. 

The question is, will Pride Of Jenni get it all her own way and if she does, will anyone be good enough to catch her? Prognosis, the current narrow favourite, has decent closing speed and will probably settle in the midfield from barrier five.

This is a quality field, there’s no doubt about it and I could make a case for over half the field here to win this one. However, I’ve decided to side with Prognosis. Prognosis has made his way to Australia after spending most of his career racing in Japan and Hong Kong. At this stage, he is the current narrow $3.60 favourite with PlayUp.

He is bringing simply elite form into the Cox Plate, a similar type of form that we saw from Romantic Warrior, who won this race last year. Be aware that he has a little habit of sometimes missing the jump, but if you watch his closing speed, he usually more than makes up for that. If he is close enough in the field, he may prove too difficult to catch.

Next up is Via Sistina. I think if Prognosis doesn’t fire in his first run in Australia, Via Sistina is the one most likely to swoop in and claim the win. Via Sistina did have a little hiccup on Tuesday’s trackwork when she didn’t enjoy having JMac on her back and threw him off. Chris Waller has since said they will evaluate her again on race day.

As long as all that is put behind her, I think a top-three finish is on the cards, at the least. She has had an amazing prep so far, winning the Group One Turnbull Stakes last time out and also winning the Winx Stakes. Via Sistina is currently paying $4.40 to win the Cox Plate, thanks to our friends at Bet365.

Mr Brightside is currently paying $9.00 with Dabble to win the Cox Plate. I repeat, Mr Brightside is currently paying $9.00! I know this is a quality field and it will be one of his toughest tests to date, but $9.00, really?! He is the clear value bet for me in the Cox Plate and I can easily see him winning this one if the rest of the field don’t perform.

The 7YO hasn’t finished lower than second so far this prep, with all four of his races so far being at either Group One or Group Two level. He’ll need to be at the top of his form, but he gets a friendly barrier and if he is at his best, he’ll be in with a massive chance to take this one out.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Broadsiding is flying under the radar, but there are some fairly decent odds going around for him at the moment. He is currently paying $6.25 to win the Cox Plate with QuestBet. He is tackling the Cox Plate third-up after finishing fourth in the Group One Caulfield Guineas last time out.

He copped some interference in that race and the run before, he won the Golden Rose Stakes. That run in the Golden Rose Stakes was very impressive and he beat the likes of Traffic Warden and Mayfair. This is his first crack at the distance, so that’s a bit of a query, but is he a class horse with some decent form.

Do I think Docklands can win the Cox Plate? No, not really. But there are a couple of things that have popped up with this 5YO that make me think he should be in for a decent run here and could very well squeeze in a top-three finish. The 5YO is currently paying $17 to win the Cox Plate with Bet Right.

This is the first time we’ll see Docklands in Australia and the last time out, he finished down the field in a Group One in the UK. He gets the gun gate and he has excellent barrier speed, so he should really give Pride Of Jenni a run for her money to see which one leads this race. There’s a bit of unknown about him, but his racing style should suit the 2024 Cox Plate.

All my Cox Plate horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Prognosis (win)	$3.60
	Via Sistina (each-way)	$4.40/$1.75
	Mr Brightside (each-way)	$9.00/$2.45
	Broadsiding (place)	$2.00
	Docklands (place)	$4.00