On Track - Spring 2019

8 Lys Gracieux has been given the go ahead to race in Australia by the Federal Department of Agriculture despite not quite meeting the criteria, having raced in Hong Kong in late April. But assurances over her capacity to meet bio-security conditions meant that she was given an exemption to allow her to take her place at The Valley. She is a genuine top-flight mare who has proved her worth both at home and overseas. Trained by Yoshito Yahagi, the five-year-old daughter of Heart’s Cry received the invitation to the 2019 Ladbrokes Cox Plate because she won the Japan Racing Association’s Group 1 Takarazuka Kinen over 2200m in June, a race in which she was ridden by Melbourne- based jockey Damian Lane. She too is eligible for a bonus - in her case AUD $2 million - if she can triumph in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate as she has won one of the key overseas lead-up events nominated in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate International Series. “The Ladbrokes Cox Plate International Series was introduced to complement our international invitations strategy and by partnering with selected prestigious group 1 races around the world. Our aim was to continue to raise the profile of the Ladbrokes Cox Plate and secure the best horses from around the world to race at The Valley,” MVRC CEO Michael Browell explained when her planned participation had been confirmed. Danceteria is another whose connections have been tempted by the riches on offer in Australia during the carnival. Road to the Ladbrokes Cox Plate – Mystic Journey 2019 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse won by Lys Gracieux Lys Gracieux will be a serious player in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate (Credit: Yuki Shimono)