Mullins lining up a crack at Winx in Cox Plate

Brad Waters - Wednesday August 16

The Irish are planning a crack at Winx in the Cox Plate…with a former hurdler.

Advertisement
Willie Mullins has Winx on his mind. Photo: Darryl Sherer

Shrewd trainer Willie Mullins hasn't been far away from winning Melbourne Cups with hurdlers in recent years with Max Dynamite and Simenon running well in the great race after switching from the jumps.

Mullins will attempt the same with Riven Light, who won his maiden hurdle by 12 lengths but missed the placings at four of his five subsequent jumps starts in Ireland before a successful return to flat racing over shorter trips.

The son of Raven's Pass won a 1m 1/2f (about 1700m) handicap at Galway on August 1 before backing up five days later to be beaten 1¾ lengths when fifth in a seven-furlong race (1400m) at the same circuit.

Mullins told the Racing Post Riven Light, the winner of four of his 16 starts would need to improve to warrant a Cox Plate run but the stable will have a shot at getting him to Melbourne in the coming weeks.

"Riven Light will need to improve but the Cox Plate is on our radar for him and we would like to take it on."

"We will hopefully get one or two more runs into him before we start making concrete plans about Australia. We would like to run him on better ground on a more conventional track as Galway is a very unique racecourse and the ground was quite soft for both of his runs there.

"He is going to have to show his form again at a more conventional track on better ground which is something I am hoping he will be able to do."

Sportsbet has Riven Light as a $101 chance to cause a boilover in the Cox Plate.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Big Investment Begins Paying Off
A big investment by Rosemont Stud at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in purchasing Group III winning mare Khulaasa for $1.35million produced a dividend on Friday, but that’s just the beginning!
Sires With Winners - Thursday July 17
Here is the full list of 40 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Boss appeals severity of Riven Light penalty
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Glen Boss has lodged an appeal against the severity of the penalty he incurred for careless riding suspension in last Saturday’s Group I Ladbrokes Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield.
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.
Farnan Filly Impresses at Kembla
Selected as a foundation sire for Kia Ora Stud, Golden Slipper winner Farnan has provided a dream start for the Hunter Valley farm with a slew of smart winners from his first crop this season including Commanding Belle, who became his 11th winner on Thursday.
Smart Winner for Hanseatic
Rosemont Stud’s Hanseatic added a fourth winner to his tally on Thursday at Kembla when the John Thompson trained gelding Sea Admiral opened his account.
Karaka Graduates Shoot for Selangor’s Seven-Figure Prize
A quality cast of four-year-olds will clash in Malaysia’s richest race this weekend, with a significant NZB influence throughout the 16-horse field.
Boss gets 10 meetings at Caulfield
Stewards were a touch gentle on triple Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Glen Boss but suspended him for 10 meetings at Caulfield on Saturday.
Sires With Winners - Friday July 18
Here is the full list of 28 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Unbeaten Filly a New Stakes-Winner for Ghaiyyath
Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath (IRE) is not returning to Australia this year after four seasons at Darley Victoria, but he was in the news overnight with a new stakes-winner after his unbeaten three year-old filly Al Uqda won the Listed Vichy Prix Madame Jean Couturie (2000m).