The Moonee Valley Racing Club is set to start negotiations with Coolmore in an attempt to bring So You Think back to Australia for a third shot at the Cox Plate.
This year is thirty years since the mighty Kingston Town won his third Cox Plate beating Grosvenor and My Axeman and the Moonee Valley Racing Club is trying to entice Coolmore to join in the celebrations.
“The club will go all out to get So You Think back,” club chief executive Browell said.
“This year the club is celebrating three decades on from Kingston Town winning the third leg of his Cox Plate trifecta and it would be great to have So You Think attempt to win his third.”
So You Think was trained by Cups King Bart Cummings when he won his two Cox Plates in 2009 and 2010 and was taken overseas when a major share of the five year old was sold after his third in the 2010 Melbourne Cup.
The High Chaparral stallion now trained by top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has been nominated for the $10 million Dubai World Cup (2000m) at Meydan in Dubai on March 31 and a win there would add to So You Think’s already impressive overseas record.
In recent times there has been several attempts to win three Cox Plates but no horse has been able to emulate the great Kingston Town.
The mighty New Zealand mare Sunline was going for her third win in 2001 WFA championship when she was narrowly beaten in a bumbing duel by Western Australian super star Northerly who went to win the Cox Plate again the following year.
And old stager Fields Of Omagh had five attempts which netted him two wins in the WFA show piece in 2003 and 2006 as well as two placings in between. He was retired after his latest victory.
Browell has already had contact with English trainer Ed Dunlop with the prospect of bringing world class mare Snow Fairy to Melbourne this year.
Dunlop was here last spring with Red Cadeaux who narrowly missed out on the major prize in the $6m Melbourne Cup when second to Dunedan at Flemington and has indicated that he would like to bring horses for the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup.
Racing Victoria international scout Leigh Jordon will be heading to Dubai next month for the World Cup meeting to drum up interest for the Melbourne Spring Carnival and then onto Hong Kong, Singapore and England.
“The club is well aware we need to deliver one of these top-line international horses for the Cox Plate,” Browell said.
“It really is critical.”
