Cox Plate defence likely to be major aim for State Of Rest
Breeders’ Cup not ruled out, but multiple Group One winner poised for swansong at Moonee Valley in October.
Joseph O’Brien’s State of Rest is likely to sign off his career with a defence of his Cox Plate title in October. The four-year-old landed his fourth Group One prize last week when winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at the Royal meeting, securing an all-the-way one-length victory under Shane Crosse at 5-1. That triumph followed a Prix Ganay win and victory further afield as the colt is also the current titleholder of the Saratoga Derby and the Cox Plate. A return to the latter race is now a probable target for the bay, who has many Australian connections via ownership group the State Of Rest Partnership. Henry Field, co-owner and managing director of Newgate Stud, told Racing.com: “Joseph O’Brien, who many consider the child prodigy – the best young trainer on the planet – he loves Australia. Australia’s his special place.“He’s a horse that’s won Group Ones in America, France, one of the most prestigious Group Ones at Royal Ascot and a Cox Plate. “It would be very special to try to put back-to-back Cox Plates together and I think Joseph thinks this is the horse to do it. “He loves the horse, it’s rare that I’ve heard a trainer speak as fondly about a horse as I’ve heard Joseph speaking about this horse. “That’s testimony to the fact that he’s just a tough animal, he’s very talented, he’s very consistent and he just gives you his all. “He’s a very rare animal, this horse, and I think back-to-back Cox Plates would be very fitting on his resume and he’d be very hard to beat.”
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