2010 Spring Racing Carnival

Cox Plate

• Type: Group 1 weight-for-age race
• Distance: 2040 metres
• Age: 3 year old and over
• Racecourse: Moonee Valley, Melbourne
• 1st Place Prize Money: $1,800,000 plus trophies to owner, trainer, jockey, breeder and strapper

As the only race in the Southern Hemisphere to be part of the World Series Racing Championship, the W.S. Cox Plate is the creme of the crop from Australian races. Named after the Moonee Valley Racecourse founder, William Samuel Cox, the Cox Plate is regarded as the “the greatest two minutes in sport”. Originally raced at 1900 metres, the Plate has succumbed to 5 distance changes since its first running in 1922 to now have a distance of 2040 metres. The Cox Plate is strategically placed between the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup, and has become of great importance leading up to the Melbourne Cup.

The imported Violoncello, a seven year old stallion, won the first Cox Plate and then in 1930 and 1931, Phar Lap left racing fans speechless when he added two Plate winnings to his racing career. Between 1942 and 1944, the race was limited due to restrictions on interstate travel, which only allowed local horses to compete in the event. Racing champion Tulloch took out the title in 1960 and then Kingston Town managed what no other horse could and won the Cox Plate three years in a row, 1980, 1981 and 1982. In 1986, a nail biting battle between Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star took place as they raced neck and neck in the last 800 metres of the race. In the end however, Bonecrusher was the better horse.

Proving to the crowd how much strength he possessed, Better Loosen Up won the 1990 Cox Plate after trailing 30 lengths behind the leader. With only 1000 metres to the finish line, the horse managed to push up to the lead and win in a new record time. He was also the only Australian horse to win the Japan Cup. Might and Power created the most recent track record in 1998 with a finishing time of 2 minutes 3.54 seconds and in 2005 Makybe Diva graced fans with an epic win, finishing just 6 seconds short of the race record time.

Cox Plate Winners