Gloria de Cox Plate

The news that one of the world’s top gallopers, Gloria De Campeao, has been set for this October’s $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (wfa, 2040m, Moonee Valley) is not only a terrific boost for the race, but also a wonderful opportunity for Australian racing fans to see a genuine international superstar.

Gloria de Campeao won the 2010 Group 1 Dubai World Cup (wfa, 2000m) at Meydan in Dubai in March – he will be the first World Cup winner to come to Australia to race. Of course, Street Cry, winner of the 2002 World Cup, and Singspiel (1997) have shuttled to Australia as a stallion.

Only 10 days ago, Gloria de Campeao was brave when nudged out by Lizard’s Desire, who was second (beaten a nose) in Dubai, in the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (wfa, 2000m) at Kranji.

It has been a while since an internationally-trained horse has competed in the Cox Plate. The most recent was in 2005 when three horses – Super Kid (7^th, trained by John Moore in Hong Kong), Greys Inn (10^th, Mike de Kock, South Africa) and Tosen Dandy (11^th, Hideyoki Mori, Japan) – were unplaced behind Makybe Diva in a memorable race.

Of course, Makybe Diva was bred in Great Britain, but she didn’t race there.

It could be said that the Irish Derby winner Grey Swallow, who was 12^th behind Fields Of Omagh in 2006, was an international – he won his Irish Derby under the guidance of Dermot Weld in Ireland, but Weld sold the grey to Wadham Park’s Peter Rowsthorn, who entrusted his private trainer Dale Sutton with preparing Grey Swallow for the Cox Plate. Unfortunately, the exercise failed when Grey Swallow dwelt at the start before trailing the field home. He pulled up lame and was retired to Rowsthorn’s Woodside Park Stud – his oldest progeny are yearlings.

Going back to the fly in-fly out visitors, Godolphin went close to winning the Cox Plate in 2002 when the handsome chestnut Grandera, a horse with a similar Group 1 winning record to Grey Swallow, rattled home for third behind Northerly and Defier after wobbling around the home bend. Grandera (by Grand Lodge (USA)) shuttled to Australia as a stallion between 2003 and 2007.

Only two former international racehorses have won the Cox Plate: the most recent was Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Almaarad, who won for trainer Colin Hayes in 1989; and the first Cox Plate winner, Violoncello in 1922, was promising galloper in England when he was spotted by Sydney’s Sir Samuel Horden on one of his travels. Horden paid £4000 for Violoncello, who also won the Caulfield Cup in 1921.

What appeals to me about Gloria De Campeao is his running style, which is perfect for Moonee Valley. He will set the pace and keep the pressure on; he rarely gives up without a fight. Watching him run in the Cox Plate will be a highlight for a race that has starting to lag behind the Melbourne Cup for publicity in recent years.

Gloria De Campeao was bred and originally raced in Brazil. He is trained in France by Pascal Bary, a horseman of high international standing, who has trained the winners of Group 1 races in six countries, including three Breeders’ Cups in North America.

Gloria De Campeoa has a strong South American pedigree, but that goes back to Great Britain from a family that has significance influence in Australia and New Zealand.  His sire Impression (ARG), has an American pedigree, being by Fappiano’s son Rubiano (USA) from Improbable Lady (USA), a daughter of the French-bred Liloy. Audacity (BRZ), the dam of Gloria De Campeao, is a direct descendant of a mare that appears in the Stud Book as the West Australian mare (GB), born in 1857, who is best known as the dam of the breed-shaping stallion Musket (GB), the sire of Carbine.

Interestingly, I wrote recently about Lee Freedman’s promising 2YO, Smokin’ Joey (b c 2007, Encosta De Lago–Dalzing, by Blazing Sword) also tracing back to Musket’s dam.