The race is still six days away but the darling of Hong Kong racing, Elegant Fashion, continues to firm in betting for Australia's richest weight-for-age race at Moonee Valley in Melbourne next weekend.
Elegant Fashion, prepared by David Hayes, is now quoted at odds of 7-1 ($80 for $10) with pre-post bookmakers in Australia, while favourite Starcraft - a likely contender for the Hong Kong Mile in December - is favourite at 5-2 ($35).
Front-running sprinter-miler Regal Roller, a Group One winner under handicap conditions at his last two starts, was confirmed as a late entry on Friday, with the owners parting with A$110,000 to make him eligible.
Cox Plate third favourite Elvstroem won the A$2.5 million Caulfield Cup (2,400m) yesterday for trainer Tony Vasil and jockey Nash Rawiller as 11-4 favourite. The Danehill horse became the first horse of the modern era to complete the Victoria Derby-Caulfield Cup double.
Vasil has not yet confirmed Elvstroem as a Cox Plate contender, but the handsome bay will clearly be a leading chance if Vasil gives him the all clear to start.
However, the weight of history will once again be against Elvstroem as no horse has won the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate double since Rising Fast in 1954, and the only one to go close subsequently was New Zealand filly Swell Time, who won at Caulfield in 1973 and finished second to Taj Rossi at Moonee Valley one week later.
