New Zealand-bred mare Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) will spearhead Chris Waller’s bid for a seventh Cox Plate victory when she tackles Saturday’s Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Flemington.

The talented mare pleased Waller in her final serious workout at Flemington on Tuesday morning, with regular rider James McDonald aboard ahead of the A$6 million feature.

Aeliana worked over 1000m before finishing strongly over the final 400m, leaving Waller confident she is ready to peak.

“It was good, strong work and the recovery was good afterwards, so it ticked all the boxes in terms of preparing for Saturday’s Cox Plate,” Waller said.

“Aeliana is ready to peak after a good semi-final run last start.”

Waller was also pleased with stablemate Birdman, who worked under race rider Ben Melham.

“His fitness gave out with 100 metres to go last start, so that will bring him on nicely for the Cox Plate,” Waller said.

Waller believes Aeliana is thriving as the spring progresses, having previously taken time to come into her coat at this stage of the season.

“She just gradually finds her way through the winter and the spring starts to bring everything together,” he said. “She’s a very healthy horse.”

This year’s Cox Plate will be staged at Flemington while Moonee Valley undergoes redevelopment, a change Waller believes will provide a fair test for all runners.

“The horses just race so well at Flemington. We’re lucky to have a track like this to be able to use while Moonee Valley is being rebuilt,” he said.

“We’ll make the most of it on a big, roomy track with hopefully no excuses.”

Waller expects a genuine tempo, with the Ciaron Maher-trained pair Light Infantry Man and Land Legend among those likely to ensure a searching stamina test.

“A real tough Cox Plate would suit Aeliana and might test Birdman, but both horses are being prepared with that in mind,” he said.

“They’ll be a little bit fitter than they’ve been in their last couple of runs. They’re ready to go, but it will certainly sort them out. It’ll be a real stamina test.”

The New Zealand-born trainer has enjoyed remarkable success in the Cox Plate through champion mares Winx and Via Sistina, and the race holds particular significance for him.

His earliest memories of the feature were shaped by the famous 1986 battle between New Zealand gallopers Bonecrusher and Waverley Star.

“Waverley Star and Bonecrusher put it on the map for most people my age,” Waller said.

“Everybody has a starting point with racing and that was mine in terms of a Cox Plate.”

Waller will rely on Aeliana and Birdman as his two representatives after confirming Autumn Boy will remain in Sydney for the Gr.1 Golden Eagle (1500m).

“There’s plenty of depth there. The three-year-olds are very classy and coming into the race with great form,” he said.

“There’s going to be plenty of speed in the race and it’s a weight-for-age contest. It’ll be one for the ages, that’s for sure.” - NZ Racing Desk

Group One beckons for gifted Monovale graduate

Exciting age group prospect Asturia (NZ) (Almanzor) is on the trail of a Classic success, which brothers Joe and Max Smithies went frustratingly close to last term.

The Waikato-based siblings bred the Almanzor filly under their Monovale Holdings banner and a dominant winning performance at Ellerslie has her in line for higher honours.

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained representative was a stylish winner of Saturday’s Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and is now a $1.90 favourite to claim next month’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

Monovale went close to top-flight victories last season when their home-bred and raced Autumn Glory (NZ) (Ocean Park) won the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) before runner-up finishes in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m).

She was subsequently sold to Yulong Investments and has yet to make her Australian debut for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.

Asturia has won two of her three starts with a second in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) in between victories.

“She’s very exciting and it was an impressive win on Saturday,” Max Smithies said.

She is out of the Zabeel mare Kay’s Legacy, whose dam Kay’s Awake won the Listed Newmarket Handicap and was Group One-placed.

“My father bought Kay’s Awake and bred from her for a number of years, and we’ve got a couple of daughters we breed from, Stentorian has got an Almanzor in Book 1 for Karaka,” Smithies said.

Asturia caught the eye of Te Akau’s Sir David Ellis at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and he went to $135,000 to secure her from Landsdowne Park’s draft.

“We were rapt with her, and she was prepped by Dave Duley, who did a great job with her,” Smithies said.

“We’re a shareholder in Almanzor and have always been big believers in him so it’s nice to see him get these results.

“The mare (Kay’s Legacy) was dry last year and she’s under cover to Almanzor, so hopefully that results in a positive.”

Monovale are currently breeding from up to 25 mares, with the emphasis on the top end.

“We’re a big farm and low on horse numbers and aim to take 15 to the sales. We really focus on the quality and put a lot of thought into it,” Smithies said.

“Typically, it’s just Joe and I that sit down and hash out the matings. We butt heads sometimes, but both want what’s best so we get there in the end.” - Paul Vettise LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Woburn Farm Presents quality draft at Ready to Run Sale

Woburn Farm’s Ready to Run Sale drafts have been a proven recipe for racetrack success in recent seasons, headed by multiple Group One-winning Hong Kong star Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse), and their 13-strong draft at Karaka next month will again command buyers’ attention.

Lucky Sweynesse was offered by Woburn Farm at the 2020 Ready to Run Sale and was bought by J & I Bloodstock for $90,000. His 34-start career has produced 17 wins, eight placings and HK$84.97m (NZ$19.14m) in stakes – over 200 times his purchase price.

Among those 17 victories are no fewer than 11 successes at Group level, including the Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) and Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m).

Given the enormous role that the Hong Kong market plays in the Ready to Run Sale every year, Woburn Farm’s Adrian Stanley is well aware of the significance of having a flagbearer like Lucky Sweynesse.

“It’s been great for us to have a horse come out of that sale and do what he’s done in Hong Kong,” he said. “He’s the headline act, but we’ve had a number of other winners as well from our drafts in Australia and Hong Kong, so we’re pretty proud of our record.”

Other notable Ready to Run Sale graduates for Woburn Farm include Group Two winner Shamus, plus the six-race winner, HK$9m earner (NZ$2.02m) and Group Three placegetter Packing Award, along with numerous other winners across Australasia and further afield.

Woburn Farm have had horses sell for up to $550,000 at the Ready to Run Sale, and Stanley is pleased with the group of 13 two-year-olds he has assembled for 2026.

“We’ve got a really nice range this year, they’re 13 lovely horses,” he said. “I’ve been really happy with them all of the way through their preparations. They did it all nice and easily in their Breeze-Ups. There was a bit of a headwind on the second day, so I thought they did really well.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing them all go through the ring. One of the ones I’m most excited about is Lot 159, the Ardrossan. He’s breezed up really nicely, he’s a beautifully balanced horse and I think he’ll make a lovely three-year-old.

“Lot 237, the Satono Aladdin, is a strong and athletic type out of a good family. I was impressed with the way he breezed up too.

“And there’ll be a bit of interest in Lot 429, by Hellbent, who was an expensive yearling purchase and has a quality pedigree behind him.”

Among those pedigree credentials for Lot 429 is his highly talented three-quarter-brother Tardelli, who has finished fourth in the Group One Proisir Plate (1400m) since the Ready to Run Sale catalogue went to print.

Lot 237 is by Satono Aladdin out of Dozer Bay, who is a winning full-sister to the multiple Group One winner Coventina Bay (NZ) (Shamexpress).

View Woburn Farm's full draft and breeze up clips online here.

The 2026 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 11am (NZT) on 18 & 19 November.

Cooper to reunite with dual Guineas winner

Donovan Cooper made a winning return to the saddle at Ashburton on Sunday, and just four days later he will be reunited with his favourite horse, dual Guineas winner Hello Hayley (NZ) (Hello Youmzain), at Ascot Park.

The Canterbury-based apprentice jockey has been sidelined for the last couple of months while recovering from shoulder surgery, and while his return to raceday riding took longer than anticipated, the wait was made worthwhile after he piloted the Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained Grove Street to victory on his first day back.

“It was sensational,” Cooper said. “I didn’t think much of my rides on the day, but the Pitmans did tell me that I would get a winner for them from the two rides, they just weren’t sure which one it would be. They told me to ride how I feel and just be positive.

“I was a bit nervous for my first ride but once I got out of the gates everything just came back quite naturally.

“It has been a long road, but I am really grateful to be able to come back with a winner on my first day back.

“I was off for longer than I expected. Initially I thought I would be back at the start of October. There was just a slight delay in getting everything strong enough for the physio to pass me to race.

“You have got to get the shoulder to 90-95 percent strength wise of what your other shoulder is.

“I returned to track work on the 14^th of September and then just rode track work until the 13^th of October and had a few jump outs during that time to get the shoulder used to coming out of the gates. The week before trials the physio put me through a couple of tests and the results were positive, so she cleared me straight away for trials and races.”

Cooper is hoping his winning momentum continues to Ascot Park on Thursday, where he has a full book of rides on the eight-race card, including Hello Hayley in the Nigel Robertson Building Handicap (1200m).

The Sophie Price-trained mare is a sentimental favourite for Cooper, having won both the Listed Southland Guineas (1400m) and Listed Dunedin Guineas (1600m) on her last season.

Cooper wasn’t cleared in time for Hello Hayley’s resuming run at Ashburton earlier this month, where she won under northern hoop Jasmine Fawcett.

While Cooper thought he had missed the bus and was no longer wanted for Hello Hayley, he was delighted to receive a call from Price requesting his services.

“I am a bit lucky,” he said. “I had to get off one to get back on her, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

“It is pretty hard not to try and get back on a horse like that, especially with the fact that she has given me most of my highs last season, and she was my breakout horse of the year.”

Cooper has received positive reports from Price ahead of Thursday, and he was pleased to see she has drawn barrier two.

“She is going really well and they are happy with where she is at,” he said.

“It looks like the race is going to map out really well, it is just whether the right gaps come at the right time. I will just go into it like she is the best horse in the race and ride her like I normally ride her.”

Cooper is also upbeat about several of his other rides, including debutants Moet Amour and Leavitt in the McCallums Group Maiden (1200m) and Cruikshank Pryde Maiden (1200m) respectively, and The Cool One in the Ascot Christmas At The Races December 12 (1600m).

“Moet Amour is a really nice maidener I like of Ebony Turner’s,” Cooper said. “I rode her at the jump outs last week and I think she is quite a nice type. I am really impressed with the way she went.

“Leavitt seems a pretty promising three-year-old for Len and Lacy Stewart. I rode her at the Timaru trials and she made up quite a bit of ground coming from the back of the field. She was slightly under a ride because she needed a wee blowout and a push, but I was quite impressed with how easily she picked most of them up.

“I also like The Cool One for Robert (Dennis). I never write off Robert at Ascot, he just flies when they are there.”

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