W.S COX PLATE - Glass Harmonium

Ballymore looks forward to W.S Cox Plate Day Saturday - excited to be saddling up, for the second year in a row, the classy grey Glass Harmonium.

Coming off an unplaced run in the Toorak Handicap - where he did it hard after missing the start, the seven-year-old notoriously was slowly away in last year's Cox Plate - blowing his chances early.

His prospects this time around again, says Michael Moroney, come down to how well he begins.

"We will know in the first 100m if he is a chance," he said.

Meanwhile we have been happy with Glass Harmonium's work and condition - "we can't fault him," said Moroney who added "if he jumps cleanly and puts himself in the race he will prove hard to beat."

Drawn in barrier 2, Glass Harmonium - who last spring won the Gr.1 Mackinnon Stakes in bold style - will be ridden by outstanding New Zealand jockey James McDonald.

Once the feature of Cox Plate Day, the Moonee Valley Cup has attracted a small but solid group of stayers and we are hoping that Shenzhou Steeds can bounce back from a below best run in the Bart Cummings Stakes last time out.

"He had some excuses," Moroney said, "but he was gone at the 200m whch was disappointing. But he has trained on well."

"It is is first run at Moonee Valley but he got around Ipswich (winning the Ipswich Cup in June) well and that is also a tight track."

Kerrin McEvoy rides Shenzhou Steeds for the first time, the pair to jump from barrier seven.

We also take a couple of horses to the Tatura meeting on Saturday - Let It Ride and Monte Carlo.

The former steps up to a mile third up in the third event and we are hopoing he can improve on his last couple off a wind operation.

"He seems okay," said Moroney, "but he will have to show us something to justify going on with him."

There is greater confidence around Monte Carlo, an imported galloper having his third run for the stable.

Safely held first up over 1400m but better second up over 1850m, the son of Montjeu will be even better suited over the 1980m of the Broker House Handicap - the sixth race on the card.

"He is a big improver," Moroney noted, "and he is shaping as a nice stayer in the making."