El Segundo a good each-way option
Cox Plate 
/ Kristen Manning / 21 October 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market
Having tipped Whobegotyou to salute in the W.S. Cox Plate, there is good value to be had in several horses each-way, writes Kristen Manning.
Should the horse carrying the number 1 saddlecloth - El Segundo - win, there will be a mighty roar. Trainer Colin Little has been brave in the face of tragedy, his beloved wife Jacqui passing away recently.
Their stable star was of course one of her personal favourites and he will running for her - and there'd be no more emotional winner to what is always an emotional race.
Zipping has looked rather plump this preparation but he will have been nicely primed for this. Last year, also third up, he finished on strongly for third in a slowly run edition and there appears to be a little more pace this time. His lead up form is similar and he is a two times winner at the track.
The form from the Turnbull Stakes has shaped very well so far this spring (providing last weekend's Caulfield Cup trifecta) and one of the better runs in that race was Scenic Shot. And in the yard he looked to be carrying plenty of condition - therefore having plenty of scope for improvement. He is yet to race at Moonee Valley but he is an honest campaigner who has proven competitive at a variety of tracks.
Road To Rock has won at the track and twice at the distance. A surprise winner of the George Main Stakes two starts ago he has the necessary weight-for-age form and his fas finishing third in the Epsom suggests he is again ready for this distance. Barrier 1 a bit tricky however.
Bringing an extra dimension to this year's race is Speed Gifted. The step up to weight-for-age from handicaps is a big one and it is not often that Metropolitan Handicap form is noted, although the mighty Saintly suffered his final defeat in that race, winning the Cox Plate at his next start.
It is hard to say at this stage just how good Speed Gifted is but he has a great turn of foot and the presence of a topliner. He really catches the eye in the yard and his strike rate of five wins from 12 starts is hard to fault.
Also of interest are the two three-year-olds - So You Think and Manhattan Rain. The former was the best of the runners on in the Caulfield Guineas, running a similar race to Octagonal before his stirring Cox Plate victory over Mahogany. You may say, well he is no Octagonal - but remember that he was at double figure odds that day - a subsequent star rather than an established one. And of course Bart is underestimated at your peril!
Manhattan Rain's half brother Redoute's Choice didn't see out the trip in this race but was far from disgraced behind Sunline. This fellow is quite a different type though and it would be of no surprise to see him in the finish. The outside gate is of concern, as is his tendency to get a bit hot pre-race (a big crowd likely to stir him further) but it may be that he is a star of the future.
And so another fascinating edition of the Cox Plate awaits us. From the perspective of theatre is unlikely to let anyone down but it will be all the better if you can find a good prospect at each-way odds.
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The Betfair each-way option of the weekend is El Segundo in the $3 million W.S. Cox Plate. To go to the market, click here.
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