Godolphin’s magnificent champion Anamoe made it four Group 1 wins from as many starts this spring with victory in Saturday’s $5,000,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
Every inch a champion (image Grant Courtney)
Given a copybook ride by James McDonald, the 4yo son of Street Boss defeated the fast-finishing I’m Thunderstruck (Shocking) by a long-neck with a long-head further back to El Bodegon (IRE) (Kodiac) in third.
Controversially beaten into second place in the race 12 months ago, Anamoe made it seven wins at the elite level to advance his record to eleven wins, five seconds, and two thirds from 20 starts with earnings of $9,491,025.
“He’s a beautiful horse Anamoe, and he’s been a pleasure to train, but that’s a proper horse race. He is the best horse race I’ve had anything to do with,” Cummings said.
“It’s a humbling experience for me, but I’m just grateful I can be a part of a horse as great as Anamoe. It’s an unbelievable feeling, it’s got me a little lost for words.
“The truth is he’s just had a gun preparation. A couple of times it hasn’t been plain sailing, but my team have come together in phenomenal fashion to have him arrive in nearly perfect shape.
“Halfway through the race, I couldn’t help but feel very calm about it. There were no surprises, everything went to script, and we had the horse in absolutely mint condition to perform.
“The right horses have run second and third so it’s a proper Cox Plate, and it's an absolutely humbling experience to be winning it.
A lovely portrait of Anamoe (image Grant Courtney)
“I’ve got some unbelievably talented and passionate people behind him that helped to make me look good standing here doing interviews for four Group 1 wins out of four this preparation.
“It’s hard enough to win one Group 1 let alone a picket fence and that has been the absolute perfect Cox Plate preparation, and evidently, that’s how you win a Cox Plate.
“I can say with pride now that my team have been able to do it. I’m sure that my fellas in Vin Cox, and Ross Cole and Jason Walsh will take great confidence in bringing the Cox Plate to Dubai to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and to show him this what a horse as great as Anamoe can achieve for him. He’s got the passion to race horses like this in this country and he has the belief he has to back us and do the job.
“I had a fella give me some past DVDs of champion horses and there I am watching Nijinsky having a pick of grass after the attempt to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triompe. I’ve seen Dancing Brave, the Mill Reefs of the world.
Time to celebrate (image Grant Courtney)
“You put him in that stratosphere. He’s that good.
“We’re lucky to be a part of it and it’s a really humbling experience and the cauldron at Moonee Valley here, the centenary Cox Plate edition. It’s everything we could do to avoid the feeling of a fait de accompli because we had the right horse.
“You still need to have them in the right order and have the man on board that is riding in such superb fashion.”
It was a first Cox Plate for McDonald who said it was the race he had most wanted to win.
“It’s the one, isn’t it. Level playing field, the best of the best. It takes bravery, guts, and determination from all these horses and always it seems the best one wins,” McDonald said.
“It goes back to Greg Childs and Sunline, Bossy and Makybe Diva. Those are the race you live and dream of as a kid and now I’m living it. It’s incredible.
A memorable 100th Cox Plate (image Grant Courtney)
I was on a champion today.
“It’s been a massive build up and I felt the tension. I could cut it with a butter knife, but it is unbelievable and good to get it over and done with.
“I don’t know how Hughey Bowman did it with four of them. What a race. I’m so proud of this horse. Full credit to him. He’s unbelievable.”
Anamoe is a half-brother to Irish stakes-winner Anamba (Shamardal) and is the best of four winners from seven to race out of the Group I SAJC Australasian Oaks winner Anamato.
A half-sister by champion sire Redoute's Choice to Group I winner Drum, Anamato has a black-type pedigree that features Group I winners Grand Armee, Yourdeel and Dealer Principal.
Anamato started her stud career in the Northern Hemisphere before repatriating in 2014. She has a yearling filly foal by Blue Point (IRE) and missed to Street Boss (USA) last spring.
