Saint George has been accepted for the Cox Plate, giving Ciaron Maher four runners in a 12-horse final field for Saturday’s $6 million weight-for-age feature at Flemington. Caulfield Cup favourite Cosmic Crusader will also back up, while Autumn Boy, Royal Supremacy and Zahrann miss the race.
Final acceptances for the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) closed at midday on Tuesday 20 October with 12 runners named, SEN reported. The race will be run on Saturday 24 October, with the barrier draw at 7pm AEDT on Tuesday.
Maher will saddle up Land Legend, Light Infantry Man, Middle Earth and Saint George. Saint George, runner-up to Kingswood in the Caulfield Cup last Saturday, will be ridden by Blake Shinn, while Mark Zahra has been booked for Middle Earth.
Cosmic Crusader started favourite in the Caulfield Cup and finished fourth. The Andrea Leek-trained Turnbull Stakes winner backs up a week later, with William Pike keeping the ride.
Three-year-olds Warwoven and Blind Raise, first and second in the Caulfield Guineas, will each carry 49.5kg. Aeliana carries 57kg with James McDonald aboard, and the other nine runners have 59kg.
Chris Waller’s Autumn Boy and Maher’s Royal Supremacy and Zahrann were all listed as decisions still to come in Racing.com’s likely fields on Sunday, but none of the three is in the final field. Zac Purton will ride Autumn Boy in the $10 million Golden Eagle instead.
Read more: Zac Purton to Ride Autumn Boy in $10m Golden Eagle
Cox Plate 2026 final field
The 12 acceptors, with trainer, jockey and weight, as listed by SEN:
- Ceolwulf (trainer Joe Pride; jockey Chad Schofield) 59kg
- Light Infantry Man (trainer Ciaron Maher; jockey Harry Coffey) 59kg
- Sir Delius (trainer Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott; jockey Craig Williams) 59kg
- Attrition (trainer Mitchell Freedman; jockey Jamie Mott) 59kg
- Cosmic Crusader (trainer Andrea Leek; jockey William Pike) 59kg
- Birdman (trainer Chris Waller; jockey Ben Melham) 59kg
- Land Legend (trainer Ciaron Maher; jockey Ethan Brown) 59kg
- Middle Earth (trainer Ciaron Maher; jockey Mark Zahra) 59kg
- Saint George (trainer Ciaron Maher; jockey Blake Shinn) 59kg
- Aeliana (trainer Chris Waller; jockey James McDonald) 57kg
- Warwoven (trainer Bjorn Baker; jockey Rachel King) 49.5kg
- Blind Raise (trainer Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young; jockey Jamie Melham) 49.5kg
What happens next
The field is capped at 14 runners plus four emergencies under the Moonee Valley Racing Club’s race conditions, so all 12 acceptors will take their place in the race. Barriers will be drawn at 7pm AEDT on Tuesday.
The 106th Cox Plate is the first to be run away from Moonee Valley, which is being redeveloped. Aeliana, Sir Delius and Warwoven were equal favourites at $4.50 when Racenet reported on Sunday, with Ceolwulf next at $5.50.
More News
- Cox Plate 2026 Likely Field: Ceolwulf Confirmed for Flemington
- Mark Zahra Booked for Cox Plate Days After Caulfield Cup Fall
- Caulfield Cup Fall: Stewards Clear All Jockeys Over Ohope Wins Death
- The 10 Greatest Cox Plate Winners of All Time
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