Field, barrier draw and Gai Waterhouse

Last updated: 2024/10/21 at 8:46 PM

The resilient McDonald bounced straight back after the fall by partnering Waller’s Kovalica in a Valley track gallop as the trainer and vets ran an eye over Via Sistina in the stalls.

McDonald chalked up his 99th group 1 win on Broadsiding in the Golden Rose at Rosehill on Saturday, September 28 – AFL grand final day. He has since had group 1 rides across the past three weeks without chalking up the magical ton.

Despite the setback, at 32, he is poised to become the fastest jockey in Australian to chalk up 100 group 1 wins. The group 1 century club includes Jimmy Cassidy, Hugh Bowman, George Moore and Damien Oliver.

Gai Waterhouse kept a close eye over her horses at Caulfield trackwork recently.Credit: Joe Armao

The Sydney partnership of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott could again be the fly in the ointment for bold front-running mare Pride Of Jenni in the $5 million Cox Plate.

Tim Clark aboard Royal Patronage.Credit: Getty Images

The Waterhouse and Bott-trained Major Beel played a major role in dulling Pride Of Jenni’s catch-me-if-you-can advantage in the King Charles Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

Pride Of Jenni was kept 10-wide by Major Beel and jockey Adam Hyeronimus for the first 500 metres of the Randwick straight before being able to cross to the lead.

Normally accustomed to getting her own way at the head of the field, Ciaron Maher’s mare felt the pinch in the final 200m and was nabbed in the shadows of the post by Ceolwulf.

Now Waterhouse and Bott are considering starting another of their on-pace runners, Royal Patronage, in the Cox Plate. The field and barrier draw will be finalised at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning.

Until now, form experts have been querying how Saturday’s elite field could catch Pride Of Jenni around the tight Valley circuit if she skipped away to a 10-length lead. A number of her key rivals such as Prognosis, Via Sistina and Broadsiding are back markers.

But the presence of Royal Patronage could change that dynamic. Like most Waterhouse-Bott runners, Royal Patronage likes to settle on the pace and could help rivals stay in touch with the breakaway mare.

In the past, jockey Craig Williams on Mr Brightside has had to do the “donkey work” of bringing the field up to Pride Of Jenni and ultimately cost themselves a winning chance.

Another late acceptor for the Cox Plate could come in the form of Mr Brightside’s stablemate, Evaporate.

Adding to the intrigue of Saturday’s Cox Plate has been a declaration by Pride Of Jenni’s owner Tony Ottobre that they were working on a Plan B for his wonder mare.

Ottobre told this masthead on Monday afternoon that jockey Declan Bates did not have to go straight to the front if it made Pride Of Jenni vulnerable to opposition tactics.

“We need to get smarter,” Ottobre said “There is no reason why we couldn’t go back and chase them down. She is not going to be one-way Jenni any more.”