Cox Plate Pedigrees – Let’s Take a Look at the Best of the Best

Tara Madgwick - Friday October 25

Nine horses - bred in six countries- will line up in the $5million Group I MVRC Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday and for pedigree enthusiasts a look at the genetics behind these elite runners is always interesting given we don’t breed a lot of horses like these in Australia and there are only two Aussie breds in the race and one of those is almost a Kiwi.

Click to visit this page and click on any runner to get the 5 generation pedigree.

Click on any horse to see the five gen pedigree that looks like this.

Pedigree Notes – A Quick Snapshot

Foaled in Australia, Pride of Jenni is the pseudo Kiwi in the field having been bred and sold by NZ based Trelawney Stud, who are no strangers to Cox Plate success having bred and sold the last Kiwi bred winner of the race in Ocean Park (NZ), who was successful in 2012.

Pride of Jenni was foaled in Australia, but bred by Trelawney Stud - image Grant Courtney

Pride of Jennis is by the most versatile of sires in Pride of Dubai and her female family is all high class Kiwi through and through being from a winning O’Reilly mare that won from 1200 to 2200m and her grand-dam by Zabeel is Group I Queensland Oaks winner Vouvray, throw in a couple of other Kiwi G1 winners in Loire and A Touch of Ruby and you can see why she is everything her pedigree said she would be and more… and the best bit is that she cost just $100,000 at Inglis Classic!

Mr Brightside (NZ) – The best offspring of Aussie bred sire Bullbars, the half-brother to G1 winners Helmet and Epaulette that got sent to stud to New Zealand, Mr B traces in tail female line to one of the great Kiwi blue hens in Taiona, the dam of G1 winners Gurner’s :Lane, Sovereign Red and Trichelle. Interestingly rising star HK sprinter Ka Ying Rising also has Taiona as his fourth dam.

Kovalica  (NZ) – By Cox Plate winner Ocean Park and is a Kiwi blueblood with his grand-dam and third dam both producing multiple G1 winners in The Bostonian and King Mufhasa.

Advertisement

Evaporate (NZ) – A third Kiwi bred runner in the race and this one by Street Cry stallion Per Incanto (USA), who is better known for his sprinter/milers, but first two dams by Kentucky Derby/Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom and Savabeel give optimism that he can run the trip and he does love the Valley where he is three for three!

Prognosis (Jpn) – By one of the world’s great stallions in Deep Impact, but surprisingly is not a Group I winner given the hype around him although he’s been placed three times at that level. His female family is all European and he is a half-sister to Group I Newmarket Cheveley Park Stud Stakes winner Vorda and his third dam Val D’Erica won the Group I Italian Oaks.

Royal Patronage (FR) – By Wootton Bassett, a stallion that has been making headlines this year for his high priced first Aussie yearlings and also his boomer crop of Northern Hemisphere two year-olds that are the first conceived at Coolmore in Ireland after his acquisition from France. Royal Patronage is yet to run a bad race in Australia and unlikely to start now. He’s from an Aga Khan bred mare staying mare that comes from the family of Epsom Derby winner Shahrastani.

Docklands (GB) – By a bargain basement son of Teofilo in Masaat, that stands at a fee of 3,000 pounds, Docklands is ranked as his third best horse even though he hasn’t won a stakes race, although he hangs his hat on an excellent second to champion miler Charyn in the Group I Queen Anne stakes at Royal Ascot this year. Interestingly, Masaat has only sired two stakes-winners and one of them is Coco Jamboo (IRE), who is running in the $2million The Invitation at Randwick. Docklands is a half-brother to two staying stakes-winners and it’s hard to think he won’t make it three for his dam, although maybe not in the Cox Plate.

Via Sistina (IRE)- Bred on the Fastnet Rock x Galileo nick that has been hugely successful and just for the record here are the stats – 72.8% winner to runner, 18.3% SW to runner with 11 G1 winners among 29 SW’s! Via Sistina is from a half-sister to dual G1 winning sprinter Kingsgate Native, so has a good mix of speed and stamina that reflect in her race record with eight wins from 1400 to 2100m

Broadsiding (AUS) – From the first Aussie crop of Dubawi stallion Too Darn Hot (GB), who was bred to be a stayer, but was in fact the Champion 2YO Colt of his generation and Champion 3YO Miler with six wins at 1400 – 1600m. First three dams by champion sires Street Cry, Redoute’s Choice and Zabeel, so every reason to be optimistic he can run the trip, although there is a lot of speed in this female family and none of the stakes-winners on the page have been successful beyond a mile.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Wathnan Racing Swoop - Quai de Bethune Eclipses July Sale Record 775,000 Guineas
The Tattersalls July Sale concluded in spectacular fashion with QUAI DE BETHUNE selling for a record 775,000 guineas and the Busuttin Young stable also picked up lightly raced 3YO TIME ALLOWED for Australia.
Melbourne Racing Club Unveils Major Spring Racing Enhancements
Racing Victoria has confirmed prize money allocations for the 2025-2026 season and Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) has announced some exciting race program changes and prizemoney increases that, together with other great initiatives at Flemington and Moonee Valley, reinforce the position of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival at the forefront of international racing.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Spring racing is just around the corner and a busy set of trials at Randwick on Friday featured eight heats won by juveniles with winners including stakes horses The Playwright and Cobra Club as well as unraced youngsters by Justify (USA), I Am Invincible and Flying Artie.
Bred to be Good - So You Think x More Joyous
It sounds like a match made in heaven, a colt by two time Cox Plate winning sire So You Think from eight time Group I winner More Joyous, and this 2YO is slated to make his debut in New Zealand this weekend,  
One to Watch – Gosford
Capitalist had a double of debut winning two year-olds at Gosford on Thursday both prepared by Peter Snowden and while the expensive colt Caesar got the job done, it was the filly that really had people talking.
Bred to Be Better at Three
Andrew Campbell will unveil another exciting youngster at Hawera on Saturday when two-year-old gelding Valvano makes his debut in the Simon Bendall @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m).
Breeding To Win – Crystal Ball – New Season 3YOs to Follow
Who are we highlighting this week? - Analysis of the G1 winning 3YO’s for this season has made us realise how many horses on this list took giant strides from two to three, so we are looking into the crystal ball to find some juveniles we believe could end next season as G1 performers if not G1 winners.
Sires With Winners - Thursday July 10
Here is the full list of 31 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Justify Strikes at Newmarket with New G3 Winner
The Group III Bahrain Trophy Stakes ((1m5f) at Newmarket overnight produced a runaway winner in Scandinavia and while his sire Justify no longer shuttles to Australia, two of his sons will be on the roster at Coolmore this spring in City of Troy (IRE) and Storm Boy.
Willydoit Data Surprise - Sprinter or Stayer?
Scientific tests have revealed surprising results on the distance aptitude of this season’s star New Zealand staying three-year-old Willydoit.