subject: Cox Plate - Horse Power at its Best [print this page] Cox Plate - Horse Power at its Best Cox Plate - Horse Power at its Best
The Moonee Valley Racing Club pays tribute to the club's founder, W. S. Cox, with a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and over run over a distance of 2,040 meters. The Plate is held on a Saturday, one week after the Caulfield Cup at Caulfield and before the Melbourne Cup. The W. S. Cox Plate carries weight-for-age prize of AUD$ 3 million, the richest in its category. The race was included in the Emirates World Series Racing Championship, known as the 'grand prix' of horse racing on a global scale. The series includes the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, the Dubai World Cup, the Hong Kong Cup, and Breeders' Cup Classic, among others.
The Cox Plate is said to be the ultimate test of speed and endurance with quite a few triple champions including Chatham from 1932 - 1934, Rising Fast from 1954 - 1956, and Kingstown from 1980 - 1982. So You Think, ridden by Glen Boss and trained by Bart Cummings, won the prestigious Plate in 2009, following it up with another splendid performance in 2010, and will probably aim for the triple crown in 2011. However, there are no certainties in horse racing, and no jockey or trainer will be counting their chickens. The first W. S. Cox Plate was won by Violoncello in 1922 with a takeaway bounty of around AUD$ 1600. Punters and racing aficionados have made the Cox Plate the biggest betting market in Australia, with bookies and online betting sites offering wagers at lucrative odds. The Plate draws the cream of the crop from all over the world every year. All this makes the Cox Plate one of the most coveted prizes in horse racing.
The Moonee Valley Racing Club track has come a long way over the years with the Cox Plate brining out the best in thoroughbred horses. Long-time Moonee Valley Racing Club secretary, the late Ian McEwen reiterated the fact that the Cox Plate would be the No. 1 race in Australia, if not the world. Betting for the event starts as early as August, with online betting sites accepting bets once the nominations for the big race are announced. This is the time for punters to take advantage of the generous odds. Of course, there are no guarantees for ante-post betting, which is why some punters wait for close to race day when the final field and handicaps are announced.
The Cox Plate is known as 'The Race Where Legends Are Made', since it has a great winners list that move on to the international circuit like Phar Lap and Makybe Diva. One of the main rewards for horses that place is a chance to come under the starter's orders in the famous Melbourne Cup that follows a week later. Several thoroughbreds have won a Cox Plate double which includes Sunline, Fields of Omagh, Filante, and Naturalism, to name a few. Trainer Bart Cummings is still a force to reckon with, winning the most W. S. Cox Plates, backed up by the most Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winners. The W. S. Cox Plate is test for not only horses, but punters as well. Every year the odds fluctuate as the Plate brings success either to truly outstanding thoroughbreds or mediocre horses that manage to fool handicappers about their real potential.
