Last year’s Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner could go into the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25 without another lead up run.

Fawkner is the new favourite for the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

The Robert Hickmott trained Fawkner was outstanding when a nose second to Dissident in last Saturday’s Group 1 $400,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.

Bookies took notice of that eye catching first up performance with Ladbrokes.com.au immediately installing the Reset gelding the new $10 Cox Plate favourite.

Senior part owner Lloyd Williams is considering not giving Fawkner another run before lining up in the ‘Weight For Age Championship of Australasia’, a tactic that almost paid off for his champion Mahogany who was beaten a breath by Octagonal in the 1995 Cox Plate.

Mahogany ran second to Jeune in the 1995 version of the Makybe Diva Stakes, the Group 2 Craiglee Stakes (1600m), and then never ran again until he took his place in the Cox Plate.

“He might do a Mahogany, who came straight out of the Craiglee and got beaten an inch by Ocatgonal who had seven stone nine (48.5 kg) with R.S. Dye (in the Cox Plate),” Williams told Racing Network.

“I might go straight from here to the Cox Plate or he might have one run.”

Williams said that he thought Fawkner has improved since last Spring when he won the Group 1 $2.5m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield before finishing an unlucky sixth to Fiorente in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.

Fawkner heads the Cox Plate market order with Ladbrokes.com.au at $10, just ahead of Dissident, the Aidan O’Brien trained  Adelaide and super Kiwi mare Silent Achiever at $11.

Last Saturday’s Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes winner Commanding Jewel shares the next line of betting with Hong Kong star Dan Excel, and the Chris Waller pair of Royal Descent and Sacred Falls at $17.