KEY POINTS:
Trainer Mark Kavanagh has put the Caulfield Cup barrier debacle involving the favourite Maldivian behind him and is concentrating on his first Cox Plate runners, Devil Moon and Divine Madonna who both go into Moonee Valley's signature race today in outstanding form.
"What happened last Saturday?," Kavanagh asked at yesterday's Cox Plate press conference, indicating he was more intent with getting on with the job at hand than talking about the laceration that led to Maldivian being scratched at the gates last week.
The two Kavanagh mares are the only last-start winners in the A$3 million feature over 2040m, both having notched group one victories at their latest appearances, and he says he can't split them.
"They're totally inseparable," he said.
Devil Moon has won six of her last eight starts and brought up a hat-trick of victories when she won the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 6.
That win prompted connections to pay a A$110,000 late entry fee to run her in Australasia's greatest weight-for-age event.
"She's very happy in herself and that's the main thing," Kavanagh said.
"She's worked well and trained on since her last run and I'm pretty happy with her.
"She had only Adelaide form before this preparation but she's gone up in everybody's expectations. She's continued to improve and deserves her chance in the Cox Plate."
Kavanagh is also happy to have Hugh Bowman, having his first Cox Plate ride, on the King Cugat four-year-old.
Bowman hasn't ridden Devil Moon before having missed the Turnbull ride due to a bout of food poisoning.
As fate would have it, her winning jockey that day, Corey Brown, is serving a careless riding suspension allowing Bowman another chance.
"He's an outstanding jockey with international experience.
"He hasn't ridden Devil Moon but was booked to ride her in the Turnbull and a lesser man may have turned up not feeling so good, but he took the tough call so he's booked for the ride again," the Flemington trainer said.
Kavanagh said race tactics for Devil Moon would depend on everybody else's tactics.
"She's not one-dimensional and she can quicken when you want her to, so we'll be watching everybody else," he said.
The Turnbull has been a good guide to the Cox Plate with nine horses completing the double in the same year, the latest being Makybe Diva in 2005.
Three-time group one winner Divine Madonna goes into the race as the last-start Toorak Hcp (1600m) winner over Cox Plate rivals Niconero and Wonderful World, but she hasn't raced beyond 1610m.
"She's a remarkable mare capable of anything.
"You sit back and see her performances over a mile (1600m) when she's come from a long way back and she's done wonderfully so why not give her a try at a Cox Plate," Kavanagh said.
"She canters along and spends nothing in a race and then runs amazing sectionals.
"If she can do that at 2000 metres, she's going to be a real chance."
Divine Madonna will be ridden by Dwayne Dunn, replacing Glen Boss who today failed in his appeal against a careless riding suspension.
The Hurricane Sky five-year-old will be trying to emulate Tobin Bronze (1967) who is the only horse to complete the Toorak-Cox Plate double in the same year.
Devil Moon is the better fancied of the Kavanagh pair at $7 with Divine Madonna at $17, while the David Hayes-trained Miss Finland retains favouritism at $4 with TAB Sportsbet.
