Sports Then and Now

The W.S. Cox Plate is one of the highlights of the Australian Spring Racing Calendar: the exceptional Moonee Valley circuit overlooks the city’s skyline and puts race goers as close to the action as is possible. The race, dubbed as one in which legends are made, is run over weight-for-age conditions, and stands as Australia’s premier horse racing event.

Mark the Date, Horse Racing Fans

The Cox Plate is set to take place on Saturday the 28^th of October this year, the second day of the two-day carnival that Moonee Valley race track puts together, along with the Group One Manikato Stakes, run over 1 200 meters, the night before the Cox Plate. Eight races will be run on the Friday evening, and then ten more the following day. So, whatever you have in mind for this year’s race, whether it’s a little Cox Plate betting or just the fun of watching the extravagant race-day outfits and spectacular races, this article outlines everything you need to know.

General Information on the Cox Plate

The race will be run at the Valley Racecourse in Melbourne, over 2 040 meters, and the winner will need to be able to finish the course in around two minutes, five seconds. Winx currently holds the track’s record, with her time of 2.02.98. this Group One horse race has a total purse prize of AU$3.05 million for the winner, and it will be run at 17:00, AEST.

The Favorite for the Race

Winx stands as one of the best-rated gallopers in the world, and she is trying to get three W.S. Cox Plates win to her name and thus enter the realm of equine immortality. Hugh Bowman rode Winx to the line in order to win last year’s race, and the mare stands as the favorite to win this one too.

The W.S. Cox Plate hung as a battle between two horses in 2016, Winx and Hartnell. But, in the same way that she managed to do the year before that, Winx streaked through clear in an even more astonishing manner! She thus made two-successive Cox Plate wins and stamped herself in as one of the all-time great Australian racing horses.

How to Get There and What to Wear

There are a number of options available for getting there –if you plan to dress up, especially in heels, we recommend an Uber or taxi ride to save your toes! If you are feeling flush you can hire a private car, or make a special day out of it and get yourself a limousine, but however you choose to arrive, Members’ parking will be accessible by means of Gate 1 on McPherson Street, and the free public parking will be located at the centre of the track, via Wilson Street’s Gate 7.

The Craigieburn train line from Flinders Street Station will stop at the Moonee Ponds station, and the MVRC is just a ten-minute walk down Puckle Street. A tram is also an option: the number 59 arrives from Elizabeth Street directly at Moonee Ponds Junction, and the MVRC main entrance is a short 200 metre walk.