Tassie star Mystic Journey is set to lead the charge against the overseas invaders in the 2019 Group 1 $5m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 26 after being among the nominations today.

Mystic Journey, above, is among the 2019 Ladbrokes Cox Plate nominations. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Mystic Journey is one of 187 nominations for this year’s Cox Plate that will be run for the first time in five years without Chris Waller’s four times winner Winx.

The Australian racing public will have to wait with great anticipation to see who will take over the crown as the champion weight for age performer after Winx’s domination over the last four years.

The Adam Trinder trained Mystic Journey showed during the 2019 Melbourne Autumn Carnival that she could be the one to take over the honour with wins in the Group 1 $1m Australian Guineas (1600m) and in the $5m All-Star Mile (1600m) at Flemington, while James Cummings’ Godolphin team will also be fighting off the international visitors.

James Cummings had nominated ten Cox Plate hopefuls with Group 1 winner Avilius and tough veteran Hartnell heading the team.

French import Avilius also shone during the 2019 Autumn Carnival with dual Group 1 wins at Rosehill in the $700,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and in the $1.5m KIA Tancred Stakes (2400m).

Avilius has had Cox Plate experience after running fourth to Winx last year while the stable’s war horse Hartnell was fifth behind Winx in 2015 and runner up to the champion mare in 2016.

“This off-season Avilius went into the paddock full of confidence after a light but impressive autumn campaign, and he has come back a really confident horse. He will kick off on August 24^th in the Winx Stakes over seven furlongs, which gives us good options stepping him up in distance afterwards,” Cummings told Racing Victoria.

The Cox Plate nominations has twenty-seven overseas horses among them, with the powerful Aidan O’Brien stable entering eleven horses and includes Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck and Group 1 winners Circus Maximus, Japan and Hermosa.

“To win a Cox Plate, you need a horse with plenty of tactical speed that gets a mile and a quarter well,” O’Brien told Racing Victoria from his Ballydoyle Stables in Co. Tipperary, Ireland.

“We have entered 11 horses that we think might suit the race, but of course some of them don’t always progress as well as we were hoping. But Anthony Van Dyck and Circus Maximus are two very hardy colts with good tactical speed, and both should handle nice ground.

“It’s probably too early at this stage to say who our number one seed is, we usually nominate a number of horses and then we will see how they progress from now.”

Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller is giving himself a great chance to find the Cox Plate winner’s stall again without Winx with Australian Oaks winner Verry Elleegant and new stable acquisitions Arcadia Queen heading up his twenty-three nominations.

Doomben Cup winner Kenedna and dual Cox Plate placegetter Humidor head up Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s nine nominations while the Lindsay Park Team have entered twenty-two hopefuls.

First declarations for the Cox Plate will be taken at 12 noon (AEST) on Tuesday, 10 September, 2019.

Nominations for the 2019 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m)