ONE of Europe’s premium Group 1 races, the Prix de Ganay will be run at the home of French racing, Longchamp Racecourse on Sunday.

The challenging 2100m journey will not only showcase some of world’s best gallopers but will produce the third leg winner of the Tatts Cox Plate WFA Global Championship.

It looks to be a match race between Cutlass Bay and Shalanaya. Cutlass Bay is a horse on the rise with 4 wins from as many starts including victory in the Group 2 Prix d’ Harcourt. Shalanaya represents the class in the field with a luckless fourth in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Cup in Japan last November. Recent winners of the Prix de Ganay include Dylan Thomas, Duke of Marmalade and last year’s winner Vision d’Etat.

In addition to claiming International Group 1 glory the winner of this weekend’s Prix de Ganay will earn a 2010 Tatts Cox Plate ballot exemption, therefore guaranteed a start in Australasia’s Weight-For-Age Championship at Moonee Valley on Saturday, 23 October 2010.

Champion galloper Viva Pataca returned to his winning ways capturing the Group 1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup last weekend, beating a stellar line-up that included Presvis, Collection and Lizard’s Desire. The win claimed Viva Pataca a ballot exemption from the 2010 Tatts Cox Plate and second leg honours of the Tatts Cox Plate WFA Global Championship.

The fourth leg is to take place Sunday, 16 May at Kranji Racecourse  in Singapore with the running of the Group 1 International Cup over 2000 metres.

The Tatts Cox Plate WFA Global Championship has been developed by MVRC to expand its exempt race policy by earmarking 10 international Group 1 events in which the winner will be exempt from the 2010 Tatts Cox Plate ballot and guaranteed a start over the 2040 metre journey.

The MVRC will maintain its ‘International Promotion Fund’ which aims to attract quality international runners to compete against Australasia’s leading weight for age horses. Through the International Promotion Fund, overseas runners will be eligible to receive a $100,000 payment if they do not finish in the first 8 placings in the 2010 Tatts Cox Plate on 23rd October.

The only condition that will be placed on the ‘International Promotion Fund’ will be that international horses will need to be trained by international trainers with training bases outside of Australia and New Zealand.   All horses competing in the Tatts Cox Plate will need to pay the nomination and acceptance fee.

Tatts Cox Plate Exempt Qualifying International Group 1 Races

Date

Country

Race

Status

Distance

Winner

27 March 2010

Dubai

Dubai Duty Free

Group 1

1800 metres

Al Shemali

25 April 2010

HK

Queen Elizabeth II Cup

Group 1

2000 metres

Viva Pataca

2 May 2010

France

Prix de Ganay

Group 1

2100 metres

 

16 May 2010

Singapore

International Cup

Group 1

2000 metres

 

23 May 2010

Ireland

Gold Cup

Group 1

2100 metres

 

16 June 2010

England

Prince of Wales

Group 1

2000 metres

 

27 June 2010

Japan

Takarazuka Kinen

Group 1

2200 metres

 

3 July 2010

England

Eclipse

Group 1

2000 metres

 

25 July 2010

Germany

Grosser Preis Dallmayr

Group 1

2000 metres

 

21 August 2010

USA

Arlington Millions

Group 1

2000 metres

 

 

MOONEE VALLEY RACING CLUB MEDIA RELEASE

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