Cox Plate

Winners, Past Results and all the History of the Cox Plate

The Cox Plate is a Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 1 Australian horse race for 3 years old and over and is a weight for age event.

The Cox Plate is contested over a distance of 2040 metres and is held annually at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne in late October during the Spring Racing Carnival.

Only one horse has ever won the race in the same year as winning the Melbourne and Caulfield cups, Rising Fast (1954), considered by many to be the greatest ever horse from New Zealand. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Prize money for the Cox Plate is worth $3,000,000.

The first Cox Plate in 1922 was won by Violoncello and carried prize money of 1000 pounds. At that time the race was a Principle Race. In 1979 the race was elevated to a Group 1 event in which Dulcify won the race.

In honour of the founder of Moonee Valley, Sam Cox, the Moonee Valley Committee decided to run a weight-for-age race, the Cox Plate.

Because Cox Plate it strategically placed on the racing calendar between the Caulfield Cup, Victoria Derby and Melbourne Cup, the Cox Plate immediately became a race of importance and prestige.

Now, many regard the Cox Plate as 'the greatest two minutes in sport'.

From its inauguration, the Cox Plate has been acknowledged as one of the classic events in international horse racing. Almost every winner has been an outstanding horse - Phar Lap, Kingston Town, Rising Fast, Dulcify, Gunsynd, Super Impose, Octagonal, Might and Power and Sunline's double-header in 1999 and 2000. The list of winners reads like a Who Who's of the Australian turf.

And since 1999, the Cox Plate is the only southern hemisphere race to be included in the World Series. The World Series is horse racing's Grand Prix circuit, spanning both hemispheres and four continents.

As Australasia's most prestigious race, the Cox Plate inclusion in the series in 1999 sees it listed with the world's greatest races including the Japan Cup (Japan), the Hong Kong International Cup (HK), Arlington Million (USA), Canadian International (Canada), Breeders Cup Turf and Breeders Cup Classic (USA), Irish Champion Stakes (Ireland), Grosser Preis Von Baden (Germany), and the Kind George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot (UK).

No wonder the Cox Plate is called the 'greatest two minutes in sport' and its prize money has reacted accordingly rising to over $3 million dollars.

The Cox Plate is full of great moments including the brilliant Sunline and her seven length win in 2000 and champion Kingston Town winning three Cox Plates in a row in the early eighties, and the the list goes on.

2013 W.S. Cox Plate

Ocean Park missed the start and settled well back, while Ethiopia and Proisir led the way as the field went past the post for the first time and into the back straight. All Too Hard was in close attendance throughout and was travelling well as they approached the turn, while Glenn Boss on Ocean Park put his mount into the race from the 600 metre mark. Into the straight, All Too Hard took the lead and looked to have opened up a decisive break but Ocean Park had plenty left, and reeled in All Too Hard with a perfectly timed ride down the famously short Moonee Valley straight. Pierro filled out the minor placings.

2012 W.S. Cox Plate result

1. Ocean Park
2. All Too Hard
3. Pierro

Then came:

4. Ethiopia
5. Shoot Out
6. Southern Speed
7. Green Moon
8. Proisir
9. Sincero
10. Happy Trails
11. More Joyous
12. Linton
13. Glass Harmonium
14. Rekindled Interest