Tactics key for Cox from tricky draws

By Jonny Turner

Jonny Cox doesn’t have the best draws to work with at Addington on Thursday night, but he will have the right kind of horsepower in front of him.

Cox puts the All Stars colours on in two races on the nine-race card to combine with Riveered and Samhara.

Riveered has a workable alley in race 2, starting from barrier 2 on the second line behind another leading hope in Steph’s Boy.

Riveered returned to racing with a fourth placing at Addington last month after a freshen up following consistent efforts in country cup races.

It’s that run that Cox sees as the key to the horse’s chances on Thursday night.

“He should have improved a lot from that last run, he had only had one quiet trial before it.”

“He was going pretty good races in the country cups before Christmas so he should be pretty competitive in this race.”

Punters who think Riveered can overcome barrier 11 were offered $3.80 odds when race 5’s fixed odds market opened on Wednesday afternoon.

Peraki Reactor, who starts first up for Grant Payne and Tim Williams, was rated the $4.50 second favourite.

Cox has an even trickier draw to deal with when he combines with Samhara in race 9.

The reinsman will have to work his magic from the always tricky barrier 9 draw over 1980m.

“The draw is not going to be easy, but he is in the same boat as the other horse.”

“He should be fitter for his first up run, because he had had a bit of a freshen up.”

“He has raced in stronger fields than this one but we will just have to see how things pan out from the draw.”

With Samhara not known as a gate-flyer, Cox is almost certainly going to have to plot a path from the back of the field for he pacer.

Those who think the horse can do just that were offered $4.20 win odds when race 9’s fixed odds market opened.

Yorokobi and Robbie Close, who have the massive advantage of starting from barrier 3, was rated the $4.50 second favourite.