Internationl Cox Plate aspirant Afsare has suffered an injury scare at the Werribee quarantine centre forcing the Luca Cumani trained gelding to miss a couple of days work.
Afsare has been restricted to walking and the full extent of the injury won’t be known until x-rays and scans are completed at the weekend when the top Newmarket trainer will rethink his Spring preparation.
Racing Victoria was notified by Cumani’s stable foremen Charlie Henson via twitter, “The @lucacumani stable has advised that #CoxPlate contender Afsare has had a minor setback. Stable will monitor his progress day-by-day.”
Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter had rated Afsare one of the top international chances for the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 27 but has drifted in the betting to be a $41 chance.
“I think he’s going to be the most competitive European contestant in the Cox Plate since Grand Era ran third behind the great Northerly and Defier more than a decade ago,” Carpenter said, before the latest news coming out of Werribee.
Afsare is a winner at listed level in Europe and put in a good effort when second to Little Mike in the Group 1 US$1m Arlington Million (1 ¼ mile) at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois on August 18.
Sydney’s first lady of racing Gai Waterhouse is dominating the Cox Plate markets with super three year old Pierro heading up the betting at $2.20 as well as glamour mare More Joyous on the second line of betting with Ocean Park at $6 and Waterhouse’s other promising three year old Proisir is also well fancied at $13.
Waterhouse could have possibly four runner sin the weight for age championship with Metropolitan winner Glencadam Gold also in contention for Moonee Valley at $31.
Glencadam Gold has won all four starts for the Waterhouse stable since arriving from England and shot to favouritism for the Group 1 $2.5m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 20 after leading all the way to win the Group 1 $400,000 McGrath Estate Agents Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on October 6.
And Waterhouse is considering a start in the Cox Plate if the import gets through the Caulfield Cup in fine order.
“I think so, I’ve paid up for the Cox Plate,” Waterhouse said.
But I’ll get the Caulfield Cup over and then I’ll just let the dust settle.”
The Peter Moody stable has suffered another blow with the news that Manighar has suffered a knee injury requiring minor surgery and is out for the rest of the Spring.
Manighar dominated the weight for age races in the early Autumn in Melbourne and Sydney and resumed for the Spring with a very unlucky second to Southern Speed in the Group 2 $300,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 8 before a lacklustre sixth to Ocean Park in the Group 1 $400,000 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on September 22.
