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The Cox Plate has a new major player after Alligator Blood dented the reputation of some of Australian racing's biggest names and enhanced his own in the process at Sandown on Sunday.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott -trained gelding logged a third career Group 1 success when he led all the way of the $1 million Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m).

It was all Bott needed to see to confirm he would be heading to the $5 million Cox Plate at The Valley on October 22.

"It most certainly is," Bott said when asked if a Cox Plate start was on the agenda.

"The pressure was put onto him early in the race and I loved the way he responded and kept fighting. It was a fantastic win."

Alligator Blood, the 2020 Australian Guineas champion who earlier this year won the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, now has just two horses ahead of him in TAB's Cox Plate market; $3.20 favourite Anamoe and Zaaki ($6), who was one of the big names he accounted for at Sandown.

Zaaki, the defending champion, had every opportunity to run down Alligator Blood, an $8 chance, in the long Sandown straight after settling in second position but made no impression late.

What.A.! Battle of the giants is won by Alligator Blood with the 0 earner capturing his 3rd Group 1 in the Quayclean Underwood S. at Sandown. By @VineryStud’s All Too Hard, Alligator Blood was purchased for $55,000 at the 2018 Gold Coast @mmsnippets #ItPaysToBuyAustralian pic.twitter.com/PSHwYlUuU8

— Aushorse (@Aushorse_TBA) September 2022

The easy $2.70 second favourite was even pipped for second by stablemate Mo'Unga ($19), who put his own hoof up for another crack the Cox Plate, in which he finished fifth last year, when he charged to within three-quarters-of-a-length of Zaaki at the line.

I'm Thunderstruck, who scored a thrilling last-stride win over Alligator Blood in the Makybe Diva Stakes at their previous start and was heavily-backed to start $2.15 favourite, lacked the ping of that day and finished fourth, a length from Alligator Blood, with Mr Brightside ($7.50) a laborious fifth.

Tim Clark, who rode Alligator Blood, is now counting down the days until the Cox Plate.

"Zaaki did come and put the pressure on him and eyeball him (but) just felt that my horse had a bit to offer when we got down to the bottom of the dip," Clark said.

"I thought he responded courageously and probably just being that extra run into his prep I felt that Zaaki might have been a bit vulnerable late going to the 1800 second-up. I was always confident my bloke was going to fight hard.

"This race, apart from Anamoe, all the big guns were there. He's proven himself over 1800 on a big roomy track like this so 2040 (metres) around The Valley, bring it on."