Think plans remain fluid

Discussions remain on-going as to whether So You Think will return to Australia in an attempt to land a third Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 23.

The headline-grabbing five-year-old won an epic renewal of the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday, his second Group One success since joining Aidan O’Brien in Ireland.

A complication in the horse trying for another Cox Plate success is the objection of the Australian quarantine authorities to the use of facilities at Ballydoyle.

So You Think ran in the colours of Malaysian tycoon Dato Tan Chin Nam in Australia and while Coolmore obtained a controlling share, he still has a significant interest in the former Bart Cummings-trained entire.

Dato Tan’s racing and bloodstock manager Duncan Ramage said today: “There are no real developments at the moment, it’s still at the talking stage and, of course, Coolmore will have the final say on plans for the horse.

“The quarantine issue would have to be overcome and if he were to return you would be giving up races like the Arc, the Breeders’ Cup and the new race at Ascot (Champion Stakes).

“He would have to go into quarantine on September 15, so he could run in the Irish Champion on September 3 and a decision be taken after that.

“When he was here he had races like (the Cox Plate) on his doorstep, but now he has other viable options.”

On the back of a shock defeat at Royal Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, So You Think lived up to his star billing with a hard-fought success over last year’s Derby and Arc hero Workforce at Sandown.

Ramage added: “He was really well ridden by Seamus Heffernan, he was very cool and was prepared to sit and wait until the furlong marker.

“He beat last year’s best middle-distance horse fair and square on the day, and at a testing track like Sandown.

“Some people were saying he should have won by more, but you are never going to beat a horse like Workforce easily.”