It is not just the advantage of horsepower Jonny Cox hopes to have on his side when he pulls on the powerful Purdon colours at Winton tomorrow.
Cox will head to his hometown’s bumper cup meeting amid a whirlwind month in which he has already tasted group race success.
The reinsman will link up with the Mark and Nathan Purdon-trained Secret Wish, who was downed by stablemate Alecto, whom Cox drove to win the recent group 3 Leonard Memorial at Addington.
While Secret Wish was firmly in Cox’s rear-view mirror all the way up the straight, he still saw merit in the filly’s run.
"She was the favourite and did get beaten, but I think it was more that the winner really stepped up that day.
"Secret Wish worked a bit early. There were a couple that had a crack for the lead.
"She still ran pretty well. It was just the winner was too good for her on the day."
While having the talent in front of him is clearly an advantage, Cox thinks race fitness is the crucial factor Secret Wish brings to the group 2 Entain Two-Year-old Fillies Southern Classic.
With a gritty win in between two second placings in just three starts, the filly is set to start favourite in just the second edition of the juvenile feature.
"She’s had the three runs now and it should be an asset to her," Cox said.
"Talking to the team, those runs have brought her on so she’s got that race fitness under her belt."
"Hopefully it will be to her advantage on Thursday."
With just six horses, the Southern Classic looks like a much more straightforward tactical race for Cox than the final Southern Supremacy Stakes heat.
Cox links up with the unbeaten Crunch Time, who must overcome barrier 12 over a mile.
The 3-year-old heads south after impressing in his two starts for two wins for trainers Hayden and Amanda Cullen.
"It is definitely a niggly enough draw over the mile, but he has been reasonably impressive in his two wins."
"Hopefully, there is a bit of pace on or we can work into it at some stage because he looks right up to it if he doesn’t get too far out of his ground."
Treacherous Dreams looks another key chance for Cox.
The 2-year-old has drawn barrier 1 in the Murray Gray Memorial, inside star triallist Patriarch at No 2.
Patriarch led and ran smart times to win at the Ashburton trials recently, setting the possibility that Treacherous Dreams could be stalking him throughout.
Cox has landed the catch drive behind Louies Girl in another today’s features, the Vetsouth Equine Southern Belle Final.
The mare looks a top-four threat, as does Tosana in the final heat of the Nevele R Stud–Macca Lodge Southern Oaks heat.
