Anamoe and Ingratiating gain plenty of plaudits following Moonee Valley defeats

Three-year-old colts Anamoe and Ingratiating both enhanced their profiles among the best of their generation with laudable efforts against all-aged opposition at Moonee Valley over the weekend.

State Of Rest beat Anamoe by a short head in the country’s premier weight-for age contest, the G1 Cox Plate, narrowly denying the Street Boss colt the chance of becoming the first horse since 1984 to complete the Caulfield Guineas-Cox Plate double.

Ingratiating overcame a slow start to take third on his first appearance against vastly more experienced sprinters in the G1 Manikato Stakes. The Frosted colt looks set to make a quick turnaround for the Coolmore Stud Stakes this Saturday, with Paulele and Kallos also in the frame for the stallion-making contest, one of four G1 races on Derby Day at Flemington.

In North America, Caramel Swirl graduated to G2 honours when getting up on the line in Saturday’s Raven Run Stakes. It was a landmark success, with USA President Jimmy Bell presented with a Keeneland Tray afterwards to recognise Godolphin’s eighth Stakes victory at the Kentucky track. Only 21 other owners have received the same prize since the first Keeneland Tray was awarded in 1955.

Adventuring will bid to provide Stakes win number nine at Keeneland in the G3 Valley View Stakes on Friday before attention turns to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup in early November.

Magny Cours gained a deserved first G3 success in the Prix Perth at Saint-Cloud, France, on Saturday. International targets beckon for the six-year-old, hopefully leading up to another crack at the Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline in March.

The UK Flat season may be reaching its conclusion but there are still opportunities for horses over the next two weeks. Meydan winners Barney Roy, Zakouski and Bright Melody hold Listed entries at Newmarket this weekend, while six Godolphin two-year-olds will run in the Golden Horn maiden at Nottingham on Wednesday, a race won by Adayar in 2020.