‘He had an aura you could feel’: The Cox Plate loses one legend - will it find another?

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Fans have to wait until the last race on the card at Moonee Valley on Saturday to witness the G1 WS Cox Plate. It’s the true championship race of the spring. A 2040 metre high intensity contest at weight for age conditions that always brings out the very best horse of the spring.

And this year, as always, there are a bunch of questions waiting to be answered. Can Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) make it two in a row to join a small group of horses who’ve won the race more than once? Can a 3-year-old take advantage of the weight scale to demonstrate class under pressure?

Cox Plate week’s significant sadness

In the week leading into this year’s G1 Cox Plate, news broke that dual winner So You Think (NZ) had died at 19 - almost seven years to the day since his original owner, Dato Tan Chin Nam, passed away. The timing wasn’t lost on those who knew them. Bound by history long before this coincidence, their names remain etched together in Australian racing folklore. For Colm Santry and the Coolmore team, the symmetry feels poignant; the loss of a horse and an owner who together helped define the race’s modern era.

“It’s got a history being the greatest weight-for-age race in Australia. It’s a high pressure, 10 furlong championship race. And what makes horses like Phar Lap, Winx, and So You Think particularly special is that they won it multiple times. Sunline is a headline act. Kingston Town. It’s a great championship decider for the best horses in Australia,” said Colm Santry.

“The greatest thing is that So You Think won it as his fifth start as a 3-year-old, and for a 3-year-old to win the Cox Plate against the best weight-for-age horses in the land, you need to be an extreme talent to do that.

“For me, So You Think probably would’ve won three Cox Plates, only he went to England and won 5 Group 1s in Europe for Aidan O’Brien, and proved what a versatile horse he was in both hemispheres. He was an elite racehorse.”

The decision by Coolmore to send So You Think to Ireland after they purchased him from Dato Tan Chin Nam wasn’t one that the Australian racing public enjoyed initially, but when he demonstrated his talent offshore, fans were in the large part reluctantly pleased that his class proved the value of our local talent pool on the global stage.

“He was a fabulous horse to do anything with, as a racehorse, as a stallion and his influence will continue on as a damsire. He’s already had a Golden Slipper winner as a broodmare sire in Fireburn. They are beautiful looking like him, he had good colts, good fillies, everything.

“People bred to So You Think just to have one. He was unique in that way. He had an iconic aura about him. He’ll be sadly missed. He’s a household name in Australia with incredible good looks.”

Other multiple winners of the race are led by the incomparable Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) who won the race four times. She was sold by Coolmore Stud as a yearling at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $230,000.

“Reared on the paddocks here at Coolmore, she was just freakish, wasn’t she?” said Santry.

A sire making race

The owners of young stallions Anamoe and State Of Rest (Ire) will be smiling with Santry’s assessment of the Cox Plate.

“It’s a sire making race. A lot of good stallions have won it. The 3-year-olds recently include Savabeel, So You Think, and Shamus Award, and all three are elite stallions who have been top ten (of the sires' premiership) in the last decade. And before that Rubiton who was a good stallion in Victoria and a great broodmare influence,” said Santry.

“Further back, Singo’s horse Strawberry Road went to America and stood over there, he turned out to be an influential stallion too.

“Very few entires win the Cox Plate but the ones that do tend to be good stallions. It’s a high class race, you need to be a true elite champion to win a race like that. It’s a massive iconic race that everyone wants to win.”

Via Sistina tries to make history

Will racing witness another dual winner? Via Sistina came into last year’s Cox Plate after dumping jockey James McDonald in front of a crowd at Tuesday morning’s Breakfast With The Stars, but the extra riderless lap she did had no impact on her and she thundered away to an impressive victory.

In 2025, Via Sistina attempts to join multiple winners of the Cox Plate. There are only a few of them, led by the aforementioned Winx and So You Think, as well as triple winner Kingston Town (Bletchingly).

The early days of the Plate had several multiple winners beginning with Australia’s racing legend himself Phar Lap (NZ) who won in 1930 and 1931. Chatham who won in 1932 and 1934, Young Idea in 1936 and 1937, Beau Vite (NZ) in 1940 and 1941, Tranquil Star in 1942 and 1944, Flight in 1945 and 1946, and Hydrogen in 1952 and 1953. Tobin Bronze won the race in 1966 and 1967.

There were no multiple winners in the 1970s until Kingston Town did what had been deemed impossible until then, winning in 1980, 1981 and 1982 with the famous call of ‘Kingston Town can’t win… he might win yet, the champ’ from racecaller Bill Collins.

The battles between Sunline (NZ) and Northerly resulted in two Plates each, Sunline in 1999 and 2000 and Northerly in 2001 and 2002, before Fields of Omagh won in 2003 and returned in 2006 to grab his second. So You Think won as a 3-year-old in 2009 and came back in 2010 for another before heading to Europe to dominate there. And then there was Winx from 2015 to 2018.

James McDonald rode Via Sistina without incident at this year’s Breakfast With The Stars and told racing.com afterwards, “She loves the Valley, as we all know – in her customary work she works sort of boldly, and this morning was no different.

“I even had flashbacks coming around the bend of what happened last year, but obviously that’s all forgotten and it worked out well in the end. She’s such a classy horse, she does everything you ask, she’s a good worker, she’s a good racehorse on raceday, she’s the complete package.

“I’ve been lucky enough to partner some great champions in this race over the past three or four years, and she’s no exception. It was a nice piece of work this morning and she’s pulled up well.”

This year, in an attempt to win back-to-back Cox Plates, Via Sistina is arguably in similar form to in 2024 and shouldn’t be underestimated. Last year, she won the G1 Winx Stakes, was fifth in the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes and won the G1 Turnbull.

In 2025, Via Sistina has taken the exact same pathway. She won the G1 Winx Stakes in Sydney, then was third in the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes and again third in the G1 Turnbull Stakes.

Owners Yulong also have 4-year-old mare Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) in the race and she’s been a model of consistency in her career, winning the G1 Memsie Stakes, then finishing second in both the G2 John F Feehan Stakes and G1 Might And Power Stakes.

3-year-olds always interest the punter

Under weight for age conditions at this time of year, colts and geldings carry 49.5kg in the Cox Plate, while fillies carry 47.5kg. Despite this only one 3-year-old filly has won, Surround (NZ) (Sovereign Edition {Ire}) in 1976.

Every year, there is much hullabaloo about the 3-year-olds, and in 2025, only one will face the starter. G1 Champagne Stakes winner Nepotism (Brutal {NZ}) comes into the race without much spring form, having been unplaced in three starts, including a last start seventh in the G1 Caulfield Guineas, but his trainers John, Wayne, and Michael Hawkes have experience in winning this race with a 3-year-old.

John Hawkes-trained Octagonal (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) to win this race at three in 1995 when training for the Ingham brothers-owned Woodlands Stud empire.

There are some parallels to Nepotism, as Octagonal won the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at two and was second in the G1 Champagne Stakes. He came into the Cox Plate off a last start third in the G1 Caulfield Guineas.

A select field of nine

The Cox Plate usually attracts a smaller field, with the class of each runner standing high above the rest of the racing population. Before Via Sistina, Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) came from Hong Kong, then travelled the world, and is now the world’s highest earning racehorse with 18 victories and over $36 million.

Anamoe and State Of Rest (Ire) won the two previous versions and are now at stud in Australia. Prior to that, it was the ill-fated Sir Dragonet (Ire) who won the race, and the enhanced veterinary rules since then have resulted in one of the favoured runners, Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}), being ruled out after scans showed heightened risk.

It was announced on Wednesday by his co-trainer Gai Waterhouse that he would be spelled and set for an autumn campaign.

This year’s field has four geldings, one entire, three mares, and one 3-year-old colt.

Light Infantry Man (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}), a 7-year-old gelding trained by Ciaron Maher will be ridden by Ethan Brown from the widest gate in barrier nine. Last season’s G1 Australia Cup and G1 Northerly Stakes winner comes off a last start ninth in the G2 Hill Stakes in Sydney.

Tony Gollan-trained 7-year-old gelding Antino (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) has drawn barrier six and will be ridden by Blake Shinn. The hope for Queensland fans ran second in the G1 Turnbull Stakes to Sir Delius last start.

Mitchell Freedman-trained 6-year-old entire Attrition (Churchill {Ire}), who won the G1 Doomben Cup over winter, hopes to get himself a stud gig with a win, and he ran second in the G2 Hill Stakes last start. He has drawn barrier 2 and will be ridden by Craig Williams.

The first of Chris Waller’s three runners is 7-year-old gelding Buckaroo (Ire) (Fastnet Rock). The winner of last year’s G1 Underwood Stakes is in solid form this year, having three Group 1 runs for three placings. He will be ridden by Mark Zahra from barrier four.

Mick Price and Michael Kent (Jnr)-trained Globe (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) is under an injury cloud, having sustained a minor fetlock injury when working last Saturday. If he runs, the last start G1 Might And Power Stakes winner will jump from barrier seven with Ben Melham on board. “I'm also of the opinion if he's not 100 per cent he should not run and if he is 100 per cent I've got no reason not to run him,” Price told racenet.com.au on Tuesday.

Last year’s winner Via Sistina will be ridden by James McDonald from barrier five for trainer Chris Waller. Matt Laurie-trained 4-year-old mare Treasurethe Moment gets the inside draw of one and will be ridden by Damian Lane.

Chris Waller’s third runner, 4-year-old mare Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) has drawn eight and will be partnered by Hugh Bowman. Winner of the G1 Australian Derby last season, she has had three runs leading into the Cox Plate, second in the G1 Winx Stakes to stablemate Via Sistina, second in the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes to Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars), and last start fifth in the G1 Turnbull Stakes.

Nepotism, the 3-year-old colt as discussed above, rounds out the field and will be ridden by Zac Lloyd from barrier three.

The inevitability of change

Saturday’s Cox Plate will be the final race run at Moonee Valley before their $220 million refurbishment project begins. Chris Waller, who has four Cox Plates with Via Sistina and Winx, told racing.com on Tuesday that he is ready for change.

“I see the good things in it. Obviously, it has created so much history. Every Cox Plate winner is remembered as being part of history, but it will be at a new venue next time,” Waller said.

“What I see with that is Moonee Valley evolving with modern-day sport. Racegoers want to go to new facilities. They want something new. Yes, there is plenty of history there, but it needs to be funded and needs to be done right, so I commend the board for the decision they have made.”

Time will be the ultimate test of the new track layout, but one thing will remain the same. It will take a high class tough racehorse to win and add their name to the list of Cox Plate champions.