The most exciting two minutes in sport will take place this Saturday afternoon, with 12 of the best horses from Australia and abroad set to descend upon Moonee Valley for the annual Group 1 Cox Plate.
The 2040m event will headline a blockbuster day of action at the track, with the G1 Manikato Stakes moving from its previous Friday night slot, while eight other races will take place at the famous track.
A blockbuster field will contest the Cox Plate, with the likes of Alligator Blood and Mr Brightside continuing their impressive spring carnivals, while overseas standouts Romantic Warrior and Victoria Road will also be in action.
The Sporting News has all the tips, form and betting odds for the big race below.
Cox Plate 2023 final field, barriers and betting odds
The final field and barriers have been set, with the likes of Romantic Warrior and Gold Trip at the top of the market.
Odds courtesy of Dabble. Correct as of October 28th. Say HEY to the social bet, Download the DABBLE app.
| Runner (Barrier) | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1. Romantic Warrior (7) | James McDonald | Danny Shum | $3.90 |
| 2. Zaaki (12) | Damian Lane | Annabel Neasham | $20 |
| 3. Mr Brightside (2) | Craig Williams | B, W & JD Hayes | $8.50 |
| 4. Alligator Blood (5) | Tim Clark | G.Waterhouse/A.Bott | $6.00 |
| 5. Gold Trip (8) | Mark Zahra | C.Maher/D.Eustace | $7.50 |
| 6. My Oberon (4) | Jamie Mott | Annabel Neasham | $61 |
| 7. Pinstriped (11) | Ben Allen | Enver Jusufovic | $71 |
| 8. Fangirl (9) | Zac Purton | Chris Waller | $7.00 |
| 9. Duais (1) | Damien Oliver | Edward Cummings | $26 |
| 10. Victoria Road (6) | Blake Shinn | Aidan O'Brien | $15 |
| 11. Militarize (3) | Zac Lloyd | Chris Waller | $7.50 |
| 12. King Colorado (10) | Michael Dee | C.Maher/D.Eustace | $23 |
Cox Plate betting preview, tips and form guide
This is one of the most hotly-contested Cox Plate fields in recent memory, with some of the best in-form gallopers set to compete in the 2040m event on Saturday.
Overseas raider Romantic Warrior ($4) looks set to start as a deserved favourite after a solid first-up run in Australia earlier this month, finishing fourth in the G1 Turnbull Stakes. With an impressive five wins from seven starts at this distance and an incredible overall career record in Hong Kong, the five-year-old looks well-placed for this race.
On the second line of betting is Alligator Blood ($5.50), who has been firing on all cylinders this preparation and is chasing a third-straight win for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable.
Mr Brightside ($9) had a slight hiccup last start, finishing second as a short-priced favourite in the G1 King Charles Stakes at Randwick, but previously looked in great touch when taking out the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes and toppling plenty of his opposition for this weekend's event.
Also at single-figure odds is Victoria Road ($7), who will be having his first start Down Under and brings a strong career record from his time in Europe, while three-year-old star Militarize ($8) will be looking to bounce back from last start's fifth-placed finish in the Caulfield Guineas and recapture his G1 Golden Rose form.
Last-start winner Fangirl ($9.50) will be having her first start over the distance but is a proven commodity in big races, while last year's Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip ($9) will be on the quick back-up after a strong performance in last weekend's G1 Caulfield Cup, which saw the six-year-old finished third in a quality affair.
Duais ($26) and Zaaki ($17) will need to return to their best for this race to be any chance of factoring into the finish, while the remaining three runners will be up against it in this field.
THE LEG UP'S EXPERT TIP: Romantic Warrior ($4)
“I keep coming back to that horse; why I come back to him is it’s the Cox Plate. This race has served me well for a long time and it's the best horse’s race. It’s so easy: you go looking for the best horse. For me, Romantic Warrior is that. It was well documented he was unwell going into the Turnbull, has run incredibly well all things considered, run a hot speed and hung on there."
“I think he’s set up well with his upward spiral for this, whereas there’s a few others that already have their best performance nailed to the board. I think he’s peaking for this race: right jockey, right map - i think he gets across one out, one back - sits outside Mr Brightside, will probably get cover from Zaaki if he doesn’t cross the Blood."
"If he does cross the Blood then he perhaps won’t have cover but he’ll be one-off the fence.” - Matthew Zammit
THE SPORTING NEWS EXPERT TIP: Alligator Blood ($5.50)
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