Racing: Whobegotyou shortens for Cox Plate

Whobegotyou confirmed he was the horse to beat in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 24, when he scored a comfortable victory in the Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday, giving Damien Oliver his 2000th winner.

The Street Cry 4-year-old firmed from $3.80 favouritism to $3 in the Cox Plate (2040m) with TAB Sportsbet fixed odds, winning his second group one race exactly a year since his first in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m).

But it wasn't without some anxious moments as Whobegotyou, sent out $2.15 favourite in the 2000m weight-for-age feature, was strung up on the inside in the small field of eight runners before Oliver got him into the clear at the 300m.

The chestnut forged clear to win by three-quarters of a length from the closing Heart Of Dreams ($3.70) with Vision And Power ($20) working home well from last to finish the same margin away third.

"He does his best on the outside so I was pretty anxious," trainer Mark Kavanagh said.

He said he was hoping Whobegotyou was the right horse for the Cox Plate, a race he won with Maldivian last year.

"Let's hope so, he's got a good record at Moonee Valley so he looks right on track," Kavanagh said of Whobegotyou who is unbeaten in four starts at the Valley including the Group Two Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) three starts back.

"It's really exciting to have a headline act."

Maldivian, who won the Yalumba in 2007, is the second pick in Cox Plate markets at $7.50 and will run in next Saturday's Caulfield Cup, as he did last year, before tackling Australasia's weight-for-age championship.

Apart from bringing up his 2000th career victory with a double at Caulfield, it was Oliver's fourth Yalumba success and 86th group one victory.

"It's quite emotional. It's great to win my 2000th race on such a good horse in a big race," he said.

Oliver said he was caught in a precarious position with horses around him when nothing wanted to go inside him in the early stages.

"I'm quite fortunate, he's got great acceleration, this horse, and he kept taking the gaps when they came," he said.

"He has a great turn of foot and he has an undeniable chance in the Cox Plate."

Mick Price said Heart Of Dreams, who beat Whobegotyou in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield at their previous meeting, would go to the Cox Plate for a rematch.

"The horse ended up in the wrong spot and at weight-for-age in small fields there is not enough between them to give away an advantage," Price said.

"But I'm really happy with the horse, he found the line and pulled ground off the favourite so we'll have another go."

Cambridge trainer Murray Baker said the stable will "sit and wait" to weigh up their options in Melbourne with Nom du Jeu.

The highly talented stayer raced lengths below his best when seventh behind Whobegotyou in Saturday's A$400,000 Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield.

Nom du Jeu had a lovely passage just behind the speed, but failed to run on.

"On that run he's not a Cox Plate chance," said Baker last night.

"We'll wait and see if it's going to rain over there."

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South Australian trainer Jake Stephens may take lightly-raced 5-year-old Alcopop into the Melbourne Cup without another run after his impressive win in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

Strathalbyn-based Stephens said he would see how the gelding, by 1994 Melbourne Cup winner Jeune, pulled up after his 3-length victory in the 2400m event and monitor whether he needed another lead-up run.

The Geelong Cup (2400m) on Wednesday week and the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) on Saturday week are options for Alcopop who has now won seven of his 10 starts, including all four this preparation.

"He might even go straight into the Cup, I'll just see how he pulls up," said Stephens who has a background with polo horses and rides his small team in trackwork himself.

Stephens also revealed why Alcopop, an original Caulfield Cup nomination, was no longer in the race.

He was out fencing some new paddocks on his property and didn't have any coverage on his mobile phone which caused a reminder he had programmed not to come though until after the second acceptance deadline had passed.

"Once I got back into service it finally came through [too late] and I thought 'oh no.'. I was thinking it must be meant to be and no one else rang me, the other owners didn't remember," he told radio station Sport 927 yesterday.

Stephens is now looking at it as a blessing in disguise.

"That's what I'm thinking, I mean it would be a fair gut-buster.

"He's the sort of horse, he's not an iron horse, he is very strong but he does need a bit of time to recover after a race.

"He's a good track worker and doesn't have a lot of galloping so when he does he puts in.

"Obviously I'd have to put some decent gallops into him to get him fit to get over 3200m. But I'm pretty confident with the horse."

Stephens said he would not be happy to run Alcopop in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington three days before the Cup as it would not be suitable for the horse to back up so quickly.

He said Alcopop was a very hard-muscled horse and a lean staying type and he would have to see how he pulled up after racing on the good (3) surface at Caulfield.

"I'll see how he bounces back and if it looks as though he needs another run or not," Stephens said.

The John Sadler-trained Melbourne Cup $6 favourite Efficient will not run again until the big race after he stormed home to win the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday week.

Alcopop is now the $7.50 equal second pick in the TAB Sportsbet market with Metropolitan Handicap winner Speed Gifted.

The Lee Freedman-trained and French owned import Speed Gifted is $5 favourite for Saturday's Caulfield Cup (2400m), although he is not confirmed as a certain starter at this stage.

- AAP