Prominent French trainer Andre Fabre has selected champion Melbourne jockey Damien Oliver to ride his Group 1 winning galloper Vadamos in the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22.
Damien Oliver, above, has been booked to ride French galloper Vadamos in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Sky Channel’s Andrew Bensley reported that Oliver would ride the high profile French galloper in the ‘Weight For Age Championship’ one day after the triple Melbourne Cup winner had been booked to ride English import Exospheric in the Group 1 $3m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 15.
Vadamos arrives in Australia on the back of a win in the Group 1 €450,000 QATAR Prix Du Moulin De Longchamp (1600m) at Chantilly, France on September 11 which followed a second in the Group 1 €700,000 Prix Du Haras De Fresnay-Le-Buffard-Jacques Le Matois (1600m) at Deauville in France on August 14.
Oliver was in the running to continue his association with Lucia Valentina after winning the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on the second day of ‘The Championships’ during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
The Kris Lees trained Lucia Valentina was a last start third with Oliver in the saddle in the Group 1 $500,000 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on September 24 but Kerrin McEvoy gets the Cox Plate ride on the multiple Group 1 winning mare.
McEvoy is no stranger to Lucia Valentina and as well as riding her two starts back when fourth to Winx in the Group 2 $250,000 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 20 was aboard her for all five of her 2015 Spring Carnival runs which included a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Yellowglen Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
Vadamos is on the third line of betting at $13 for the Cox Plate with Ladbrokes.com.au who have the Chris Waller trained super mare Winx as the $2 favourite just ahead of the firming Hartnell at $3 with Lucia Valentina joining Darren Weir’s Black Heart Bart at $15.
Early Cox Plate market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2 Winx, $3 Hartnell, $13 Vadamos, $15 Black Heart Bart, Lucia Valentina, $21 Divine Prophet, Hauraki, $26 The United States, Yankee Rose, $31 Tosen Stardom, Sacred Elixir, $41 Jameka, Palentino, Happy Trails, He’s Our Rokkii, Sir Isaac Newton, $51 or more the rest.
