Racing: Kelt conqueror sole Kiwi in Cox

SYDNEY - Xcellent's initial Melbourne target of the WS Cox Plate was confirmed yesterday when the connections did not pay up for third acceptances for the Caulfield Cup.

Trainer Mike Moroney's inclination has long been towards running the New Zealand star in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 22 rather than the Caulfield Cup.

He said after Xcellent's fourth group one win, the Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings on Saturday, that missing the Caulfield Cup would give him more time between major races.

His main rival, Makybe Diva, remains an acceptor for both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

Third acceptances for the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup, and second acceptances for the Melbourne Cup, closed yesterday and there were no surprises on the New Zealand front.

She's Justa Tad, Magnetism and Cedar Manor dropped out of Cox Plate reckoning, leaving Xcellent as the sole New Zealand-trained runner.

However, Calveen, who is New Zealand-owned and raced last year in Lance O'Sullivan's Matamata stable before transferring to Peter Moody in Victoria, is among the acceptors, as is the Graeme Rogerson-trained trio of Perlin, Activation and Econsul.

In the Melbourne Cup, the New Zealand-trained runners paid up were Xcellent, Bazelle, Envoy, Empyreal and Viz Vitae.

Dropouts included Cedar Manor, From Heaven and Miles.

Perlin is Rogerson's sole acceptor for the Cup, while Moroney has Sarrera still in the picture. Another transtasman trainer Chris Wood paid up for both Command N Conquer and Charnwood Cup.

In the Caulfield Cup, Bazelle, Viz Vitae and Vouvray, who accepted also for the Melbourne Cup, were third acceptors.

Former New Zealand runners Uprize and Rizon remain in the field.

Hugs Dancer, part-owned by former All Blacks coach John Hart, is in both cup fields.

Twelve horses from outside Australasia paid up for the Melbourne Cup.

Eight of them - Greys Inn (South Africa), Super Kid (Hong Kong), Carte Diamond (England), Tosen Dandy and Eye Popper (Japan) and the Godolphin trio Fight Your Corner, Razkalla and Fantastic Love - are already in Australia.

Last year's runnerup Vinnie Roe's trainer Dermot Weld is expected to make a decision on whether his horse comes over within the next day or so.

* Third acceptances for the A$2.5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 15:

Mummify (AUS) 57kg, First Charter (GB) 55.5, Razkalla (USA) 55, Fight Your Corner (GB) 54.5, Eye Popper (JPN) 54, Plastered (AUS) 54, Perlin (NZ) 53.5, Carte Diamond (USA) 53, Fantastic Love (USA) 53, Natural Blitz (AUS) 53, Sir Dex (AUS) 53, Confectioner (AUS) 52.5, Kindjhal (FR) 52.5, Stella Grande (AUS) 52.5, Count Ricardo (AUS) 52, Grey Song (AUS) 52, Hugs Dancer (FR) 52, Moscow Ballet (IRE) 52, Swift Tango (IRE) 52.

Railings (AUS) 52, Demerger (AUS) 51.5, Dizelle (AUS) 51.5, Hollow Bullet (AUS) 51.5, Lachlan River (NZ) 51.5, Portland Singa (NZ) 51.5, Vouvray (NZ) 51.5, Wild Iris (AUS) 51.5, Mr Sandgroper (AUS) 51, Show Barry (AUS) 51, Bazelle (NZ) 50.5, Charnwood Green (AUS) 50.5, Rizon (AUS) 50.5, Stormhill (AUS) 50.5.

Activation (NZ) 50, Free At Last (NZ) 49.5, Irish Darling (AUS) 49.5, Lord Of Lords (AUS) 49.5, Mr Celebrity (NZ) 49.5, Runon (AUS) 49.5, Sarrera (AUS) 49.5, Shrogginet (NZ) 49.5, Special Scene (AUS) 49.5, Uprize (NZ) 49.5, Viz Vitae (NZ) 49.5, El Segundo (NZ) 49.5, Kamsky (AUS) 48.5, Leica Falcon (AUS) 48.

* Third acceptances for the A$3 million WS Cox Plate, 2040m, weight for age at Moonee Valley on October 22:-

Confectioner 58kg, Desert War 58, Fields Of Omagh 58, Greys Inn (US) 58, Lad Of The Manor (NZ) 58, Moscow Ballet (IRE) 58, Mr Celebrity (NZ) 58, Mr Sandgroper 58, Mummify 58, Perlin (NZ) 58, Sir Dex 58, Studebaker (NZ) 58, Super Kid (NZ) 58, Tosen Dandy (JPN) 58.

Activation (NZ) 56.5, Barely A Moment 56.5, Econsul (NZ) 56.5, Lachlan River (NZ) 56.5, Niconero 56.5, Outback Prince 56.5, Plastered 56.5, Xcellent (NZ) 56.5, Calveen (NZ) 55.5, Ike's Dream 55.5, Makybe Diva (GB) 55.5, Sky Cuddle 55.5, Dizelle 54.0, Hollow Bullet 54.0, Lotteria 54.0, Shania Dane 54.0, Danger Looms 48.5, God's Own 48.5, Hotel Grand 48.5, Stratum 48.5.

* Second acceptances for the A$5 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 1:-

Makybe Diva (GB) 58kg, Vinnie Roe (IRE) 58, Yeats (IRE) 57, Mummify 57, Distinction (IRE) 56.5, Greys Inn (USA) 56.5, First Charter (GB) 55.5, Super Kid (NZ) 55.5, Razkalla (USA) 55.

Fight Your Corner (GB) 54.5, Franklins Gardens (GB) 54.5, Eye Popper (JPN) 54, Plastered 54, Xcellent (NZ) 54, Desert War 54, Lad Of The Manor (NZ) 53.5, Perlin (NZ) 53.5, Tosen Dandy (JPN) 53.5, Carte Diamond (USA) 53, Fantastic Love (USA) 53, Mahtoum 53, Sir Dex 53, Confectioner 52.5, Kindjhal (FR) 52.5, Stella Grande 52.5, Count Ricardo 52, Grey Song 52, Hugs Dancer (FR) 52, Moscow Ballet (IRE) 52, Swift Tango (IRE) 52, Railings 52, Demerger 51.5, Dizelle 51.5, Hollow Bullet 51.5, Lachlan River (NZ) 51.5, Pantani (NZ) 51.5, Portland Singa (NZ) 51.5, Vouvray (NZ) 51.5, Wild Iris 51.5, Frightening 51, Mr Sandgroper 51, On A Jeune 51, Bazelle (NZ) 50.5, Charnwood Green 50.5, Don Raphael 50.5, Envoy (NZ) 50.5, Rizon 50.5, Stormhill 50.5, Strasbourg 50.5, Zingam (NZ) 50.5, Timbourina 50, Zacielo (NZ) 50, Coalesce (NZ) 49.5, Command 'n Conquer (NZ) 49.5, Dracaan (NZ) 49.5, Empyreal (NZ) 49.5, Free At Last (NZ) 49.5, Great Sandy 49.5, Heureka (NZ) 49.5, Irish Darling 49.5, Just The Part 49.5, Lester Thunderwing 49.5, Lord Of Lords 49.5, Men At Work (NZ) 49.5, Mr Celebrity (NZ) 49.5, Sarrera 49.5, Shrogginet (NZ) 49.5, Sleatbank (NZ) 49.5, Special Scene 49.5, Thousand Veils (NZ) 49.5, Umbula 49.5, Viz Vitae (NZ) 49.5, Douro Valley 49, Kamsky 48.5, Garbo's Storm 48, Leica Falcon 48, Reins Of Power (NZ) 48, Soi Cowboy 48.