by Trent Masenhelder/TTR AusNZ
Three-time Group 1 winner Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) is under consideration for the A$5-million G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Oct. 28, Coolmore's Tom Magnier revealed on Wednesday morning.
A winner of six of his seven starts in succession including the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, G1 St James's Palace S., and G1 Eclipse earlier this year, the son of Modern Eagle (Ger) (Montjeu {Ire}) holds a slew of entries at the top table in Europe, as well.
Speaking to RSN Racing And Sport, Magnier said of the Cox Plate possible, “We're going to be chatting about that over the next couple of days [bringing horses to Australia].
“When you look at Paddington, he is the best 3-year-old in Europe. Obviously, we've got Auguste Rodin that won the English Derby–he's a machine, but I was looking at Paddington and what he is doing is breathtaking. I don't know if anybody saw him running in the Coral-Eclipse the other day, the race Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) was in… that was an unbelievable field and he just decimated them. He is an absolute superstar.
“You'd have to think that if he lined up in a Cox Plate, he'd be very hard to beat. I'm not saying that that's going to happen, but we obviously hold Australian racing in very high regard and bringing a horse like Paddington down for a Cox Plate… it would be tempting and very exciting.”
Magnier's comments coincide with the Moonee Valley Racing Club's (MVRC) announcement that the winner of next month's G1 Juddmonte International S. will be handed a 'golden ticket' into the Cox Plate.
Interestingly, the G1 Juddmonte International S., which will be run at York on Aug. 23, is a possible option for Paddington and his triple Group 1-winning stablemate Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
“We're very keen to continue our great association with York Racecourse, and the winner of this year's race will be more than worthy of a place in the 2023 Ladbrokes Cox Plate,” MVRC's head of racing, Charlotte Mills, told TTR AusNZ.
Aidan O'Brien, who won the Cox Plate in 2014 with Adelaide (Ire), before his son Joseph was victorious in 2021 with State Of Rest (Ire), said the Cox Plate is a great stallion-making race.
“The Cox Plate has enormous prestige and is a very important race for a colt to win, especially for a potential dual-hemisphere stallion. We won it with Adelaide and more recently Joseph won it with State Of Rest. It is always a great race and a very prestigious race on the international calendar,” O'Brien said.
Previous winners of the Juddmonte International S. include Singspiel (Ire), Giant's Causeway, Falbrav (Ire), Frankel (GB), Sea The Stars (Ire) and Baaeed (GB). O'Brien is a five-time winner of the Juddmonte, with his most recent success being in 2019 when Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) scored under Ryan Moore.
The Juddmonte International S. becomes the third golden ticket race, joining the GI Saratoga Derby and G1 Takarazuka Kinen.
“We've been thrilled with the reception that we've had from the international jurisdictions for the international qualifiers; we're getting positive conversations and dialogue between trainers, jurisdictions and ourselves,” Mills added.
“Between Racing Victoria and the clubs here in Victoria, we are actively going out to recruit to ensure we're doing everything in our capacity to bring the best horses to Australia. With the best of our local horses and the opportunities to have international raiders, we want to present the best possible product on the day.
“To have a pioneer like Aidan O'Brien return, that would be a huge thrill for the club and for the race itself. We're certainly happy with the pace of interest we're receiving from international connections, and there are some domestic talents that we are working just as hard on, such as Amelia's Jewel (Aus) (Siyouni {Fr})–we want her in the race.”
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