Japan horses chasing Cox Plate heist

Tommy Berry is convinced Lys Gracieux is the best Japanese horse sent to Melbourne for the spring carnival in years as punters remain wary of launching into the Cox Plate favourite.

Berry, who is one of the few Australian jockeys to have travelled to Japan for short-term riding stints, has provided a glowing appraisal of his rival, which is poised to complete the middle leg of a potential Japanese clean sweep of Victoria’s spring majors.

Mer De Glace flexed his muscle in the Caulfield Cup last week to fuel predictions the Japanese will also plunder the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

Bookmakers reported mixed interest in Lys Gracieux after Tuesday’s barrier draw where she landed 15, as Australian racing officials simultaneously grapple with an animal welfare crisis and a decline in betting on some of the country’s biggest races.

But Berry was quick to point out how difficult it will be to upset Lys

Gracieux, which will be eligible for a $2 million bonus if she can add the Cox Plate to her Takarazuka Kinen success in June.

‘‘We’ve obviously had some very nice Japanese horses over here in the past, but she’s as good as what they’ve brought over in my time riding

‘‘She’s as good as we’ve seen over here on form,’’ said Berry, who will ride another Japanese-trained runner, Kluger, which was runner-up to four-time Cox Plate winner Winx in her final race earlier this year.

‘‘We’ve obviously had some very nice Japanese horses over here in the past, but she’s as good as what they’ve brought over in my time riding. When she won her recent group 1 she won convincingly and she seems to have travelled well.

‘‘[Jockey] Damian [Lane] seems to have a big opinion of her and I reckon she’s very good and not one you should be taking lightly.’’

But it seems Berry’s opinion is not shared by punters, who are treading cautiously before the twoday Cox Plate carnival which began last night. Weather forecasters are predicting scattered showers on today with the Cox Plate to be run as the 17th race on the track in less than 24 hours.

‘‘It is a strange Cox Plate because every good judge wants to tell you the Japanese horse is unbeatable, but none of them want to back it,’’ BlueBet’s Michael Sullivan said.

Lys Gracieux was a $3.70 favourite with BetEasy clearly shading Tasmanian star Mystic Journey ($6.50) and the three-year-old Castelvecchio ($7.50).

‘‘Betting interest in the Cox Plate has grown and been quite robust since the barrier draw,’’ TAB’s

Adam Hamilton said.

‘‘Lys Gracieux drifted from $3.20 to $3.50 after drawing wide, but despite drifting further since to $3.80 she has clearly been the best backed since the draw.’’

‘‘More generally, the weather forecast for probable rain and storms is probably seeing some punters just holding off to see how the track is closer to race start time.’’ Berry will be gunning for his first Cox Plate success when he is legged aboard Kluger ($17), which had the honour of chasing home Winx in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes back in April.

Asked about a comparison between Lys Gracieux and Kluger, Berry said: ‘‘If the race was in Japan there’d be no contest. There’d probably be a bigger margin in the market. ‘‘I’m very confident. [Kluger] seems to be the forgotten horse in the race in my opinion.’’

● New Zealand interest in the race centres around Te Akau Shark, which has drawn badly, and Verry Elleegant, who are both have some New Zealand ownership and began their racing careers in this country.