Melbourne Cup next for Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet
Only seven horses have won the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup in the same year. Glen Boss - who won claimed the double with Makybe Diva - is confident Sir Dragonet will add his name to that illustrious list.
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Sir Dragonet will bid to join a select band of horses to follow Cox Plate success with Melbourne Cup victory, with Glen Boss predicting the gun import will be even better suited at Flemington.
Boss’s thoughts were echoed by trainer Ciaron Maher, who said “the job was only half done” with lightly-raced Sir Dragonet after the Irish-bred galloper’s stunning triumph at The Valley.
Formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien, Sir Dragonet was having his first start for Maher and David Eustace and will now attempt to emulate the 2005 deeds of Makybe Diva – the champion synonymous with Boss.
Makybe Diva is one of only seven horses to win both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.
The others are Phar Lap, Might And Power, Saintly, Nightmarch, Delta and Rising Fast.
“The Melbourne Cup preparations start now,” Maher said, outlining plans to send the expensive son of Camelot to the beach on Sunday before honing Melbourne Cup preparations.
Boss, who was aboard Makybe Diva in all three of her Melbourne Cup triumphs, is equally bullish about the Cup after TAB slashed Sir Dragonet’s price from $34 to $11.
“He’s got great form and he just might go a little bit better in a Melbourne Cup, I’m telling you, because he was actually getting warmed up towards the line,” Boss said.
“He was actually getting quicker towards the post.
“The way he gave me a feel today, he might be running in a Melbourne Cup and running very well in one.”
Boss was fined $1000 for celebrating before the winning post and a further $1000 for breaching COVID protocols after hugging stable staff post-race.
Boss inherited the ride from Hugh Bowman, who was sidelined through suspension.
The veteran lightweight’s previous Cox Plate wins came aboard Ocean Park (2012), So You Think (2010) and Makybe Diva (’05).
Sir Dragonet was last week identified by O’Brien’s Werribee team as the horse they feared the most in the Cox Plate.
Those fears materialised when their former charge steamed past Armory and Russian Camelot to justify an expensive price tag.
The former English Derby runner justified the decision of several prominent Australian businessmen, including Ozzie Kheir, John O’Neill, Brae Sokolski and Phil Merten to buy him from Irish breeding and racing giants Coolmore.
“It is unbelievable ... no bigger race,” Maher said after Sir Dragonet’s connections pocketed $3.25 million.
“They (owners) made the right call on the jockey and he did a great job.
“To think you get a horse of this calibre. I”ve looked after him for a bit over two weeks - it is just phenomenal.
“He never missed an oat and I was always very confident with his fitness.”
Originally published as Melbourne Cup next for Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet