Cox Plate

The Carlton Draught Cox Plate 2008

The Carlton Draught Cox Plate is the only Southern Hemisphere race to be included in the World Series Racing Championship, which includes thirteen races in eleven different countries. The World Racing Series features other races such as the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Ascot in England, the Breeders Cup in The United States of America and the Hong Kong and Japan Cups.

The Carlton Draught Cox Plate is seen as one of the most prestigious and classic events in Australian horse racing and is undoubtedly the weight-for-age championship of Australiasia worth a Group 1 prize pool of over $3,000,000.

Past winners of the Carlton Draught Cox Plate include such mighty names as Northerly, Sunline, Might and Power, Saintly, Octagonal, Kingston Town and the most well know Australian race horse ever - Phar Lap

Another great chapter in Cox Plate history written on October 23rd 2004 with Savabeel joining the small ranks of three-year olds to win the Cox Plate.

Champion mare Makybe Diva today won the 2005 Carlton Draught Cox Plate in stunning fashion and created history by becoming the highest stakes money earner in Australasia. Ridden brilliantly by Glen Boss on a slow rated track, Makybe Diva made a long and sustained run 1000m out from home to win Australia’s premier race by 1 ¼ lengths. The win pushed her earnings to a record $11, 401, 685 and capped off a fairytale result for the Moonee Racing Club and the Australian racing public.

Cox Plate History

The Moonee Valley Committee decided to run a weight-for-age horse race in honor of the founder of the Moonee Valley club, Sam Cox. This race quickly became a race of prestige and importance due to the strategic positioning of the race time between the Melbourne Cup, Victoria Derby and the Caufield Cup.

From its inauguration, the Carlton Draught 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.

Since 1999, the Carlton Draught 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 four continents both hemispheres.

The Carlton Draught Cox Plate's inclusion in the World Series in 1999 sees it listed among the world's greatest races, including the Dubai World Cup (UAE), 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).

The Carlton Draught Cox Plate is often regarded as 'The Greatest Two Minutes In Sport'. With it's amazing winners list, fantastic international reputation and prize money now reaching over $3,000,000 it's no wonder the Cox Plate is one of the most widely watched horse races in the world.