Cox Plate 2016: Hartnell reaquaints himself with tricky Valley circuit

GREAT PICS: SYDNEY trainer John O’Shea isn’t going into next week’s Cox Plate with any great confidence on the chances of his in-form stayer Hartnell.

The John O'Shea-trained Hartnell enjoys a wash after trackwork. Picture: Colleen Petch

ALTHOUGH it’s been described as a two-horse race, Sydney trainer John O’Shea isn’t going into next week’s Cox Plate with any great confidence on the chances of his in-form stayer Hartnell.

Hartnell is the other horse in the so called match race with Chis Waller’s super mare Winx.

In what O’ Shea rates as a vintage Cox Plate, he said they enormity of the task has not been lost.

O’Shea galloped Hartnell and his other contender Harauki solo over 1400m at Moonee Valley on Thursday morning.

OLIVER APPEAL DATE SET: 20-MEETING SUSPENSION FOR WINNING RIDE

CAULFIELD CUP: HALL HOPES SACRIFICES DON’T GO TO WASTE

It was Harntell’s first trip back to the Valley after finishing fifth to Winx in last year’s big race.

And as for a two-horse race, he points that while Winx is a great mare, Kris Lee’s mare Lucia Valentina and David Vandyke’s filly Yankee Rose, which Dean Yendall will ride at 47.5kg, are also in contention.

“She is a champion, Winx, but Kris’ mare (Lucia Valentina) is a great little mare and I think she is going to be effective on this circumference and on this ground,” O’Shea said.

“To be fair, three-year-old fillies (Yankee Rose) that win Spring Champion Stakes, that’s a wonderful achievement,” he said.

Hart-starter: Godolphin galloper Hartnell walks on to the Moonee Valley course proper at first light. Picture: Colleen Petch

“And he she is a class three-year-old and we all know three-year-olds have got wonderful records in the race and we have no illusions about the strength of the race.

“Vadamos is an extremely well performed European horse and it is a vintage year to say the least.”

Hartnell with Richard Cronin onboard works down the main straight. Picture: Colleen Petch

O’Shea said he was always a great advocate for horses for courses and says Winx’s only race at Moonee Valley resulted in winning last year’s Cox Plate by five lengths, easing down.

“You have not seen her back here since and apart from being a champion mare, she might have a great affiliation with this track and it makes it even harder to beat,” O’Shea said.

“We are not going in there with any confidence, to be fair.

Strapper Tyla Barten walks the Godolphin star. Picture: Getty Images

“We are just going in there to prepare a horse to the best of our ability, present them on the right day and we have got good jockeys. Hopefully we will be competitive.

“|The enormity of the task is not lost on us and I don’t think you can go into a Cox Plate with any confidence thinking you are going to be winning a Cox Plate, not this year anyway.”

Hartnell has a wash after his morning workout. Picture: Colleen Petch

Compared to this time last year when O’Shea said everything went wrong for Hartnell, but this time around everything has since gone right for the six-year-old who has to make up 10 lengths on Winx from last year’s race.

Trainer Gai Waterhouse gets into the swing of things at Moonee Valley. Picture: Colleen Petch

He said Hartnell has been given an easy time since winning the Turnbull Stakes 11 days ago and says and Hauraki is in “a wonderful vein of form.”

Lucia Valentina and, another Cox Plate contender, Happy Trails — both worked together over 1400m, quickening from the 800m mark and running the final 400m in 23.75sec.

Jockey Damien Oliver leaves trackwork the morning after his spring was cast into chaos with a 20-meeting suspension. Picture: Colleen Petch

Sydney trainer Kris Lees said his Queen Elizabeth winning mare had no problems with hr first look at the track but says she’ll need plenty of tempo to challenge the two fancied runners.

“We rely on a number of things for her to compete at this level,” Lees said.

“To be fair she needs a bit of cut in the track, although the track felt perfect this morning and any rain would enhance her chances.

The Robert Smerdon-trained Under The Louvre enjoys a drink as he walks after his workout. Picture: Colleen Petch

‘”And we need solid tempo because she will be spotting them a bit of a start and we just need the race to be set up for her. That’s her best trait and she’s got this tremendous finish if it is set-up like that and if not, we will probably have our work cut out.”

Trainer Paul Beshara with veteran galloper Happy Trails. Picture: Colleen Petch

Lees said Lucia Valentina would encounter a tough task if she was spotting good horses four or five lengths off an average temp.

“No one will pick them up,” he said.

Manikato Stakes contenders — Capitalist (Peter and Paul Snowden), English (Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott) and Under The Louvre (Robert Smerdon) — also galloped at Moonee Valley.

Originally published as Cox Plate 2016: Hartnell reaquaints himself with tricky Valley circuit