‘I know he is much maligned’: Kovalica in surprise Melbourne Cup tilt after Cox Plate

Kovalica is on a surprise Melbourne Cup path, with the Queensland Derby winner flying under the radar ahead of the Cox Plate.

Nev Morgan knows his horse Kovalica has become a whipping boy for punters and concedes he may be outclassed in Saturday’s Cox Plate, but he reckons he is flying under the radar in Melbourne Cup calculations as it looms as a surprise move.

The prominent owner says the plan was hatched by master trainer Chris Waller, with the horse, who hasn’t won since his Group 1 Queensland Derby victory in May last year, being well supported in Melbourne Cup markets in the last week.

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The Cox Plate has been used by the likes of Verry Elleegant (2021) and Gold Trip (2022) in recent years as a lead-up to the Melbourne Cup and Morgan is happy to trust Waller’s judgement, who believes the horse had all the makings of a Cup horse with 53.5kg on his back.

While it is almost 18 months between wins, Morgan believes Kovalica has shown a spark this preparation and has the words of Nash Rawiller ringing in his ears when it comes to tackling the two miles.

“I know he is much maligned and people laugh at him, but he has won $3m and Chris doesn’t hide him, he has been around in King Charles’, Doncasters, Golden Eagles and all those,” Morgan said.

“We feel like this campaign he is showing something, it has been his best campaign in a while and he just races without luck.

“He has never told me, but I think it has been in the back of Chris’s mind for a while.

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Kovalica hasn’t won since the Queensland Derby last year. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

“They had hardly pulled up in the Hill Stakes a few weeks ago and he rang me and said “how about the Melbourne Cup?”

“I was like ‘are you sure?’

“Chris is the boss and he said he had the sort of a profile where he could do it if he gets the right run because he has a turn of foot.

“When Nash Rawiller won the Queensland Guineas (in 2023) on him, he rang me the next day and he said it probably wouldn’t win the Caulfield or Melbourne Cup that year, but he said as a five and six-year-old, he would be looking for that distance.

“Nash isn’t prone to silly statements, so that has always been in the back of my head.”

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While Morgan has had Cox Plate runners before, Kovalica is set to be his first Melbourne Cup horse and he, along with fellow owner David Devine want to grab it with both hands.

“It’s so hard to have a Cup runner now with all these overseas horses, we’ve got the opportunity with one of ours, so we probably have to take it,” he said.

“We were tossing up between the Cox Plate and the Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Chris said either would be a good lead up to the Melbourne Cup.”

Kovalica is $26 for the Melbourne Cup and the Cox Plate.

Originally published as ‘I know he is much maligned’: Kovalica in surprise Melbourne Cup tilt after Cox Plate