Waterhouse seeks first Cox Plate win with Sir Delius
The A$6 million race moves to Flemington for the first time, with Chris Waller also seeking to match a training record.
Gai Waterhouse is pursuing her first Cox Plate victory with Sir Delius in the A$6 million weight-for-age race, but has rejected suggestions he represents her strongest opportunity to win it.
Flemington will host the race for the first time rather than Moonee Valley. Waterhouse said she was concentrating on preparing her horse, not the historical significance of a victory.
She pointed to other contenders she had trained over more than 30 years, including Alligator Blood. He placed third in 2023, when Romantic Warrior won and Mr Brightside finished second.
Chris Waller is seeking a seventh Cox Plate success, which would draw him level with Waterhouse’s father, T.J. Smith. Waller trained Winx for four consecutive wins and Via Sistina for two. James McDonald will ride Waller’s Aeliana as he attempts to claim his fourth consecutive victory.
Jamie Melham, riding Blind Raise, and Rachel King, aboard Warwoven, are also contesting a race that no female jockey has won. Waterhouse said the trophy remained one she wanted to secure, recalling the excitement of her father bringing racing trophies home when she was a child.
