The 2020 Stella Artois Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet is among a total of 83 horses nominated for the 2021 AUD$5 million The All-Star Mile at The Valley on Saturday, 13 March 2021.
The former Aidan O’Brien-trained colt is one of 23 Group 1 winners on the nominations list, which includes 27 AUD$1 million-plus purse earners and 25 three-year-olds.
If the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Sir Dragonet makes the final field for the race, the former Coolmore-owned son of Camelot will return to the scene of his dominant victory in the 100th Cox Plate at Moonee Valley last October.
The Maher-Eustace training outfit has seven high-class entries, with Junipal, Amish Boy, Away Game, Grandslam, Jet Propulsion and Snapdancer.
The reigning Ladbrokes Cox Plate winner, Verry Elleegant, a New Zealand-bred six Group 1-winning daughter of Zed, has also been nominated for the third edition of the world’s richest mile race.
The Chris Waller-trained mare, a winner of two Australian Group 1 races during the 2020 Victorian Racing Carnival, is one of seven nominees from Waller’s yard. Group 1 winners Funstar, Humidor and Kolding are also entered by Australia’s leading trainer. The filly Hungry Heart and six-year-old geldings Imaging and Star of the Seas complete the Waller-trained nominations.
The Harrovian, a seven-year-old gelding on an 11-race winning streak and who produced an impressive performance on his recent run, winning the Magic Millions Bernborough Plate over The All-Star Mile trip, is among the 83 horses entered.
Peter Moody’s colt Glenfiddich, winner of the Group 2 Stutt Stakes over a mile two starts ago at The Valley is included among the nominations list, while Group 1 winner Dreamforce and recent Group 2 Villiers Stakes heroine Greysful Glamour will hope to make the final field of runners.
Dual Group 1 winner Behemoth and his stablemate Kemalpasa are listed, while New Zealand’s hopes of winning the valuable race will rest with the mare Melody Belle, a 12-time Group 1 winner who was third in last year’s The All-Star Mile, her stablemate and reigning Epsom handicap winner Probabeel, and the unbeaten three-year-old Aegon.
The Irish-bred Australian-trained colt Russian Camelot; former winner of The All Star Mile, Mystic Journey; The Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas winner Ole Kirk; Group 2 Perth Cup winner Neufbosc, a winner of three races from his last five starts, as well as Arcadia Queen are also listed among the nominations.
Greg Carpenter, Racing Victoria’s Executive General Manager – Racing said of today’s confirmed nominations:.
“The quality and diversity of nominations for The All-Star Mile 2021 has again exceeded our expectations, with 45 stables from right across Australia and New Zealand all vying to win the marquee race of Victoria’s Autumn Carnival.”
The 15 runner The All-Star Mile is Australia’s only fan-voted race and will take place on Saturday, 13 March 2021.
The voting period for the Australian public gets underway on Friday, 22 January 2021, with the top 10 vote-getters being revealed by Racing Victoria, before Friday, 19 February 2021.
The final field of 15 will be supplemented by five wildcard runners determined through a combination of two ‘win and you’re in’ races and The All-Star Mile wildcard panel.
