In Brief
- Mandela Effect to tackle race at Moonee Valley on Saturday week.
- Toorak Handicap first main mission.
- Plans still to be determined for The Inevitable.
PREMIER trainer Scott Brunton is gearing up for his first assault on the W. S. Cox Plate with his talented gelding Mandela Effect being aimed at the world’s most prestigious weight-for-age middle distance event at Moonee Valley in October.
Despite Victoria’s stage four COVID-19 lockdown, the state remains on target to hold its feature races during the spring carnival, albeit without spectators.
Even the latest scare of a stable employee testing positive to coronavirus late last week, Victorian racing has continued without a hiccup.
Mandela Effect has not started since winning the weight-for-age Mowbray Stakes (1600m) in Launceston in late February, a race that secured the son of Turffontein the triple crown of the state’s weight-age-races during the simmer carnival.
Brunton has always believed Mandela Effect would measure up over 2000 metres and beyond.
“Mandela Effect has always shown me something special and it takes a special animal to win a Cox Plate, but you can’t win that race at home in the stable,” Brunton said.
“We don’t know if he will be up to such a task, but I’ve mapped out a plan of attack that should give us that answer.
“Mandela will kick of his campaign in the Chandler McLeod over 1200m on Saturday week (5 September) and then head to the Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) two weeks later,” Brunton said.
“I expect Mandela to end up in the Toorak Handicap (1600m) and that’s the race I’d like him to win to get into the Cox Pate.”
Mandela Effect has won 12 of his 23 starts for almost $550,000 in stakes but he would probably have to win the Toorak to earn a berth in the Cox Plate.
Brunton also will send The Inevitable to Melbourne where he will either kick-off in the Bobby Lewis at Flemington on September 12 or an 1100m Handicap at Caulfield a week later but there are no plans beyond that race for the five-year-old.
“The Inevitable has been working really well with the Bobby Lewis his likely first-up target but we aren’t looking any further at this stage.”
Brunton’s warhorse Hellova Street will also make the trip to Melbourne with the Chatham Stakes his main mission on November 7.
With the trainer unable to travel to Victoria because of the COVID-19 lockdown in that state, Brunton also confirmed his team will be cared for by his father, David Brunton, for the duration if their Victorian campaign.
David and Scott shared multiple Tasmanian trainer’s premierships before David opted to semi-retire and he and his wife Julie have since resided in Victoria for the past three years.
Watch Mandela Effect win the Steve’s Liquor Mowbray Stakes (1600m) in Launceston before he went for a spell.