Global double for Cox Plate winner

This morning's Cox Plate winning trainer Joseph O'Brien completed an across-the-planet double at Galway today as his Global Equity landed the Sanserv Rated Novice Chase under J.J. Slevin.

O'Brien's State Of Rest, under Irishman Johnny Allen, was the winner of the world-renowned Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in Australia at 7.10am this morning, picking up first-place prizemoney of €2,024,365 and this afternoon Global Equity added another €9,600 to the haul.

The daughter of Shirocco appeared held when leader Robinnia went clear jumping the final fence but rallied well and battled to a two and a half lengths win over Razzle Dazzle Love with Robinnia fading to finish third.

Slevin later reported “it was a good performance, she is a lovely mare and obviously got black-type last year. They got away on me in the dip when she was tapped for toe and I wasn't sure if I'd catch them but she is a hardy mare. She ground them down and would probably get further.

“All those mares novice chases are open to her and getting more black-type could be worth looking at now.”

Slevin, with some understatement, quipped “I'd say there aren't many trainers who have won a novice chase in Galway and a Cox Plate on the same day, so fair play to him.”

O'Brien was indeed the first, although the only previous Irish trainer to win the Cox Plate, his father Aidan O'Brien, completed a round-the-world double seven hours after his Adelaide won the Australian Group 1 race in 2014, with Leopardstown winner Giovanni Canaletto.