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Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size 11.32amText message dispels billionaire owner’s Cox Plate absence rumours 11.15am‘The last thing we want to do is destroy it’: The magic of Moonee Valley 10.58amJ-Mac chases Cox Plate history aboard Via Sistina 10.58amThe races Hide key posts Go to latest Pinned post from 10.58am Latest posts Latest posts Text message dispels billionaire owner’s Cox Plate absence rumours Racing giant Yulong Investments have taken the unusual step of sending a text message to Australian racing connections to dismiss rumours about billionaire Chinese owner Yuesheng Zhang’s absence from Saturday’s Cox Plate meeting. The man behind mega racing operation Yulong Investments will not be at Moonee Valley to watch his Cox Plate favourite Via Sistina defend her crown. Chinese billionaire Yuesheng Zhang with The Everest trophy. Concerns had been raised in racing circles this week that Zhang could not secure an Australian visa in time to make it to Melbourne to watch the race, two sources who wished to remain anonymous told this masthead. But Yulong confirmed to this masthead on Friday morning that the organisation’s general manager, Jun Zhang, who is the owner’s son-in-law, had sent a text to several people in the breeding industry this week to dispel the concerns. Click here to read the story. ‘The last thing we want to do is destroy it’: The magic of Moonee Valley By Danny Russell Glen Boss surfed a wave into a tsunami during one of the greatest-ever finishes to a Cox Plate. Even for a big-time jockey who had travelled the world, it was a feeling he had never experienced before – being caught up in a surge of horses in a cauldron of noise. Four-time Cox Plate-winning jockey Glen Boss surveys the Moonee Valley course for one of the last times.Credit: Penny Stephens The moment began, he said, when the 2005 Cox Plate field started fanning out off the fence about 1000 metres from home. Soon, there were nine horses abreast across the tight-turning Moonee Valley circuit as they built up speed and hurtled for home. It was more like the charge of the light brigade than a horse race. “It was crazy,” Boss told The Age this week of his famous victory on famous horse Makybe Diva. “I was looking to both sides to see if anyone was going any good. I remember Steven King, who rode Fields Of Omagh, thinking his horse was going alright. “But he looked across and could see me sitting there like a church mouse, and he just went, ‘Oh, for f----’ sake’.” Click here to read the story. J-Mac chases Cox Plate history aboard Via Sistina Champion jockey James McDonald jests he would have taken a second fall from Via Sistina if it meant another record-breaking victory in the $6 million Cox Plate and a sought-after slice of history. A far smoother preparation for Saturday’s 2040m Group 1 feature means the star hoop won’t have to survive such a dangerous prelude this time if he is to triumph in Australasia’s weight-for-age championship for the fourth consecutive year. Trainer Chris Waller and Candice Persijn pose with Via Sistina at the Flemington Stables Tour in September.Credit: Getty Images The near-perfect build-up doesn’t guarantee Via Sistina will set any fresh marks after last year’s record-equalling eight-length victory in a time that beat legendary mare Winx’s previous best by almost two seconds. But it does ensure McDonald a huge shot at glory aboard the defending champion and raging favourite, in what will be the final running of the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley before the quirky, rectangular racecourse undergoes a $220 million redevelopment. “It would be such a thrill to win it, especially being the last one,” 120-time Group 1 winner McDonald said. “It’s rich in history, and we’ve seen some unbelievable champions grace the turf here. “It’s going to be sad to see it go, but it would be lovely to win the last running of the Cox Plate (in the traditional configuration).” Via Sistina was a beaten favourite at her two most recent starts - both Group 1 contests at Flemington. But McDonald, widely known as “J-Mac”, insists the eight-year-old mare is in as good condition as 12 months ago, when she recovered from throwing the jockey in trackwork just four days out from her Cox Plate demolition job. “I might have taken another tumble for that result,” McDonald said. “She’s going well. We just haven’t had the right set-up for her to show her best, and normally a Cox Plate will do that. “It’s a phenomenal race and something that we really cherish being a part of, and there’s obviously going to be (eight) competitors that are all gunning for the same glory. “We’re looking forward to the challenge, and I’m pretty happy with how she’s felt.” The Cox Plate field was weakened when previous favourite Sir Delius was ruled out, deemed at “heightened risk of injury” under Racing Victoria’s controversial veterinary protocols. Advertisement Good morning G’day everyone and welcome to our Cox Plate day racing blog as we go through all today’s races at Moonee Valley before we get to the Cox Plate at 5.40pm AEDT. We will have all the colour, results and news from the course and then the post race reaction. Enjoy the hours to come. 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