Anamoe and Zaaki have drawn inside gates as they seek to atone for last year’s Cox Plate heartbreak at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Zaaki was scratched from last year’s Cox Plate on raceday morning due to an elevated temperature and will make his first appearance in the race for trainer Annabel Neasham jumping from barrier one under Jamie Kah.

Last year’s Cox Plate runner-up Anamoe unsuccessfully protested against State of Rest in a controversial verdict. The six-time Group 1 winner trained by Godolphin’s Australian head trainer James Cummings will depart from barrier four under James McDonald.

Mo’unga, the only other horse to feature in last year’s Cox Plate field, is one of three horses trained by Neasham in the 12-horse field and will jump from barrier nine.

I’m Thunderstruck won the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and was runner-up last start to Anamoe in the G1 Might and Power Stakes (2000m) from barrier one but will start Saturday’s Cox Plate from gate ten.

Last month’s G1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) winner Alligator Blood will jump from the outside barrier.

$5m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m)

1 ZAAKI (Annabel Neasham) Jamie Kah (1) 59kg
2 I’M THUNDERSTRUCK (Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr) Mark Zahra (10) 59kg
3 ALLIGATOR BLOOD (Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott) Tim Clark (12) 59kg
4 MR BRIGHTSIDE (Ben & JD Hayes) Craig Williams (11) 59kg
5 MO’UNGA (Annabel Neasham) Nash Rawiller (9) 59kg
6 GOLD TRIP (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) Not Notified (7) 59kg
7 LAWS OF INDICES (Annabel Neasham) John Allen (3) 59kg
8 YOUNG WERTHER (Danny O’Brien) Damian Lane (2) 59kg
9 MAXIMAL (John O’Shea) Ben Melham (5) 59kg
10 ANAMOE (James Cummings) James McDonald (4) 57.5kg
11 PROFONDO (Richard Litt) Chad Schofield (6) 57.5kg
12 EL BODEGON (Chris Waller) Damien Oliver (8) 56.5kg

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