By Bren O'Brien

Seven months on from his toughest day as an owner on Cox Plate day, Brae Sokolski is contemplating a three-pronged attack on the Group 1 Moonee Valley feature in 2019.

Ahead of last year's Cox Plate, Sokolksi, who has emerged as a significant owner in recent years with around 65 horses, was contemplating whether either of the horses he part owns, Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Kings Will Dream (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}), could be capable of upsetting superstar mare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) in her bid for her fourth victory in the race.

Post-race, Sokolksi was left shell-shocked with Kings Will Dream pulled out of the race with a fractured pelvis, while Humidor sustained a suspensory injury which looked to have ended his racing career.

Remarkably, both horses are now fully recovered, and having joined new stables after Darren Weir's disqualification, are being set for a return to the Cox Plate in 2019.

"At that point, my main concern was saving Kings Will Dream and finding a nice paddock and retirement for Humidor. Fast forward seven months and I never thought I'd be in a position for both of them being 100 per cent and arguably in the best condition they have ever been," Sokolski told RSN's Racing Pulse.

Kings Will Dream's recovery has been as close to a miracle as Sokolski has seen in his time in the game. The import was genuinely 50-50 to survive in the days after the race, but nursed back to health, he is now in Chris Waller's Rosehill stables.

"There is no doubt that horse is looking better than he has ever been. He has furnished and grown and he didn't have any atrophy in his hindquarters despite fracturing his pelvis," he said.

"He was in a box for three months. He was stall-tied for two months and he couldn't move, because we couldn’t afford to put any pressure on his pelvis."

"Yet, he is in magnificent order. His attitude throughout has been incredible, and he is in pre-training now with Chris. We are moving forward to the spring carnival very bullish about his prospects."

Having come through his period of confinement, Kings Will Dream spent time further recovering at Noorilim Park. Waller doesn’t usually pre-train his horses, but made an exception for Kings Will Dream, ensuring he keeps a close eye on him in his continued rehabilitation from what was a catastrophic injury for a racehorse.

Sokolksi sat down with Waller last week to plot out his spring campaign. The 5-year-old, a winner of six of his 14 starts, is likely to kick things off in the G1 Winx S. at Randwick on August 24.

"It's highly likely he stays in Sydney and we get some give in the track in the early part of the spring to look after his joints," he said.

"He'll come down for the G1 Turnbull S. or the G1 Caulfield S. for his final run into the Cox Plate."

Third-time lucky for fully-recovered Humidor

Humidor, twice a Cox Plate placegetter, is also on target for a third shot at the race, with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace to oversee his preparation.

Having recovered from his injury, the 6-year-old spent time with Pat Cannon before heading to Lindsey Smith's new set-up at Warrnambool, where former Weir employees Maddie Raymond and Tyson Kermond have been working with him.

"Tyson got off the horse on Tuesday and said he's the best he ever felt," he said.

"Lindsey takes him through pre-training and he’ll be with Ciaron in eight weeks."

He will head to the Cox Plate along a very similar path to last year, when he kicked things off in the G2 PB Lawrence S. at Caulfield, then won the G1 Memsie S. before contesting the G1 Makybe Diva S., G1 Underwood S. and G1 Caulfield S. before his third in the Cox Plate.

The main contention is whether he starts off in the PB Lawrence or attempts to defend the Memsie S. first-up.

Verry exciting filly

Sokolski's third Cox Plate contender is likely to be G1 AJC Oaks winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}).

She has emerged as one of the most promising young stayers in the country, but Sokolski said that she was unlikely to go to the G1 Caulfield Cup and would instead head to the Cox Plate before a possible shot at the G1 Melbourne Cup.

"It has been the subject with rigorous debate. I caught up with Chris for lunch last week to go through all the preparations of the horses. I'd have to say, at this point and time, the Cox Plate is the number one race on her agenda," he said.

"Chris believes he can run her in the Cox Plate. He feels that the Melbourne Cup is still an option, so we are definitely keeping an open mind about that, but he has to work out how he prepares her for the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup giving her enough miles in her legs to go to the Melbourne Cup without taking away from her brilliance."

"It’s a real balance and if anyone is able to walk that tightrope, it’s Chris."

Bob Peters announced this week that his Group 1 winning filly Arcadia Queen (Pierro) would join Waller's stables and head towards The Everest and the Golden Eagle.

But Sokolski is adamant that the lure of the $7.5m Golden Eagle was never a temptation for Verry Elleegant, despite the fact she won the G2 Phar Lap S. over the same track and distance during her autumn campaign.

"I’ll never run in the Golden Eagle with a horse that is good enough to win a Cox Plate, I'm a purist, I want to win a Cox Plate, this is a race that is stepped in history and that has been won by the best weight for ages horses in the country for the last century," he said.

"Even if the prizemoney was doubled for the Golden Eagle, if I've got a horse that is good enough to win a Cox Plate, I'm running in the Cox Plate."

Everest aims for Yes Yes Yes

Sokolksi revealed that he was keen for one of his other rising stars, Yes Yes Yes (Rubick), to be targeted at The Everest.

While Waller has an Everest slot available, so too does Coolmore, who are a shareholder in the Group 2 winning colt.

Sokolski, a young owner with a successful career as Chief Investment Officer for commercial real estate investment manager Maxcap Group, believes with his involvement in 65 horses, he is probably reaching his peak, with a determination to play with quality over quantity.

"The bottom line of it is, it is a volume game, and if you want to own some seriously good horses, and not just one or two, you are going to need to have numbers," he said.

"I'm fiercely ambitious and I'd like to think I can grow my racing interests over the next 50 years, I’d like to hope."

By Bren O'Brien

Chris Waller is genuinely excited about the future of 2-year-old filly Funstar, who became the first winner for her sire Adelaide (Ire) with an impressive victory against the older horses over 1250m at Canterbury on Wednesday.

Funstar is a half-sister to Group 1 Queensland Oaks winner Youngstar (High Chaparral {Ire}) and races for the same interests. She was heavily supported on raceday off three very good trials and lived up to the hype by 3.3l.

In-form jockey Robbie Dolan sat the filly back off the strong pace and brought her with a long run, and she surged clear to defeat her stablemate Tawarat (I Am Invincible), with Classic Gaming (Medaglia d'Oro {USA}) third.

She breaks the duck for Coolmore's first-season sire Adelaide, the winner of the G1 Cox Plate, who had only had two runners to the track prior to her victory.

Waller was super impressed with the win and predicted a big future for Funstar.

"She's very smart and she has shown that in her trials as well," he said.

"She's by a good stallion in Adelaide and it would certainly suggest that distance won't be a problem for her."

"That's why I had her ridden her like that, why would you be outside the leader on a horse by Adelaide? Obviously, she a sister to Youngstar who is a genuine Group 1 horse in her own right."

"I think we’ve got a good one here."

Waller admitted things have been a little flat around the stable since the departure of superstar mare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), but he was genuinely excited about what Funstar could do.

"I'm tickled pink. This is the most excited I've been in about six weeks," he said.

"It was interesting running a 2-year-old against the older horses. I don’t believe in it, I don’t think they get enough weight advantage, but she has got a bright future. We’ll look after her and have a lot of fun with her."

"Who knows where she is going to get to? But I'm going home with a big smile on my face."

Dolan was equally as impressed with the performance.

"I haven’t been riding for very long, but she's very smart I reckon," he said.

"Mr Waller was very adamant we give her a good experience on her first time around. She just did it so easy. It’s like she has done it 100 times before. She is going to be very nice I reckon."

Dolan said Funstar possessed a very long stride, which gives all the indications that she will improve with racing and with distance.

"She's got a very, very big stride on her, even going to the gates I had to tell her to slow down. I'm not saying how good she is going to be, but she is going to be very, very good," he said.

More joy for Sheather

The dam, Starspangled (Ire) (Danehill (USA), has been a great producer for Young-based Jack Sheather since he purchased her for $30,000 at the 2014 Sydney Weanling and Broodmare Sale.

He purchased her through his good friend John North at Bowness Stud in foal to High Chaparral, with Youngstar the resultant foal. She sold for $200,000 to Anton Koolman Bloodstock and Sheather and his wife Karen remained in the ownership.

It was the same story two years' later at the 2018 Easter Sales, when the Koolmans paid $80,000 for the Adelaide filly, with the Sheathers staying involved along with members of the Inglis family, whose colours she carries.

The younger half-brother by Dissident passed in at the Classic Sale this year, while Starspangled visited Pierro last year having missed to Dundeel (NZ) the year prior.

Mark Newnham continued his terrific run with his 2-year-olds when Blazing Miss (Sizzling), also ridden by Dolan, won the earlier 2-year-old race at Canterbury over 1100m at her second start. Blazing Miss withstood a protest from second-placed Aquitaine (Exceed And Excel) of the James Cummings stable.

Looking Ahead puts the spotlight on runners of interest across Australia and New Zealand. Whether they are a particularly well-bred or high-priced runner having their first or second start, a promising galloper returning to the track or a horse which has trialled particularly well, we’ll aim to give you something to follow.

On Thursday, we check out a Godolphin filly stepping out at Seymour, look at the first foal from a Group 1 winning mare purchased by Mick Price, and examine the prospect of a Kris Lees' filly resuming at Wyong.

Seymour Race 1, 12:30pm AEST, United Insurance Group 2YO Fillies Mdn, $35,000, 1200m

Prophecies (Medaglia d'Oro {USA}) looks a typically fast and forward Godolphin 2-year-old, having shown plenty of speed in a recent Flemington jumpout. She has had a couple of hitouts ahead of her debut here and has been gifted an ideal barrier with Damien Oliver getting a rare ride in the all blue.

She is the only foal out of Phoebe (Street Sense {USA}), who was unraced and is a half-sister to Paximadia (Commands), who was a Group 2 winner. That family comes out of a European family which features the Group 1 winners Territories (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Street Cry (Ire) (Machiavellian {USA}) and Shamardal (USA) (Giant's Causeway {USA}).

Seymour Race 2, 1pm AEST, Lloyd Sound Mdn, $35,000, 1200m

Steamboat Rock (Fastnet Rock) is the first foal out of the multiple stakes winner Fontein Ruby (Turffontein). Mick Price, who now trains with Mick Kent Jr, purchased this colt for $350,000 out of last year's Australian Easter Sale. Fontein Ruby is out of Charming Ruby (Rubiton), the three-quarter sister to dual G1 Cox Plate champ Fields Of Omagh (Rubiton) and a half-sister to the talented Group winning mare Infinite Grace (Prince Of Birds {USA}).

Steamboat Rock had a recent jumpout at Caulfield, working home nicely from back in the field suggesting whatever he does here, he will likely improve on going forward in the campaign.

Wyong Race 4, 1:50pm AEST, De Bortoli Wines Mdn, $35,000, 1350m

I'm Kate (NZ) (Savabeel) showed enough in her first campaign to suggest she shouldn’t take long to break her maiden. She has had two trials leading into her comeback race here and with Brenton Avdulla in the saddle from the inside barrier, she gets a good chance to break through for a win.

She was a $240,000 buy out of the NZB Premier Sale in 2017 and is the first foal of the Listed winner Shandream (NZ) (Pins). That's the family of stakes winner Catainer (NZ) (Centaine) and Fercertain (NZ) (Centaine).

We hope you enjoyed reading today's edition of TDN AusNZ. If you have any feedback or ideas, please don't hesitate to reach out.

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