TRAINER David Hayes has declared Miss Finland “ready to rumble” as she prepares to chase the double achieved only by Makybe Diva in the $3 million Group I Tattersalls W.S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley tomorrow.
Hayes has grown more bullish by the day about Miss Finland’s chances of winning the nation’s weight-for-age championship.
"I’m really, really happy with her," Hayes said last night.
"We have had a perfect couple of weeks. We just haven’t had a drama. Everything seems to be falling into place. She’s drawn ideally in barrier one and we are very excited about our chances.
"She is ready to rumble now."
Miss Finland, striving to be the first Golden Slipper winner to be successful in a Cox Plate, remains a firm $3.80 favourite with TAB fixed odds.
The mare will be set for the $5.1 million Group I Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 6 if she wins the Cox Plate. Makybe Diva, two years ago, is the only mare to win the Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup double.
But Miss Finland’s recent defeats in the Underwood Stakes and Yalumba Stakes raised concerns Hayes may have compromised the mare’s Cox Plate chances to prepare her for the Melbourne Cup.
She failed to run down outsider Rubiscent in the Underwood Stakes then Maldivian dominated the glamour mare at Caulfield two weeks ago.
Hayes dismissed those suggestions, maintaining that jockey error and race tempo had contributed to Miss Finland’s two costly losses.
"People have been reading too much into the Melbourne Cup thing," Hayes said.
"I have been training her for the Cox Plate. That’s all I’ve been concentrating on because this is a ‘major’ and they are hard to win.
"We have analysed her last two starts and I’m satisfied we have pin-pointed the reasons for her defeats.
"The Cox Plate is different. The pressure is on from the start and that will suit Miss Finland.
"She should get the gun run from her inside barrier and all we need is a bit of luck from the 600m. If she is within striking distance of the leaders on the turn, then I think they will find it tough to hold her out."
Source: foxsports.com.au
