2013 WS Cox Plate Preview

The WS Cox Plate is a Group 1 weight-for-age race held each year at Moonee Valley racecourse during the Melbourne spring racing carnival in October. The race is run over a distance of 2040m and worth over $3,000,000 in prizemoney. The 2012 WS Cox Plate was won by Ocean Park from All Too Hard with Pierro third.

The WS Cox Plate is the premier weight-for-age event of the year on the Australian racing calendar and it's widely considered to be the weight-for-age championship of Australasia. It is a race for only the very best horses and is typically won by a quality thoroughbred.

All owners, jockeys and trainers strive to win this race to try and become a part of history for winning the 'race where legends are made'.

2013 WS Cox Plate info
Date:	Saturday 26th October 2013
Track:	Moonee Valley racecourse, Melbourne
Distance:	2040 metres
Race Type:	Weight-for-age
Status:	Group 1
Prizemoney:	$3,000,000
2012 Winner:	Ocean Park

The WS Cox Plate was first run in 1922 and the first winner was an imported stallion named Violencello. From humble beginnings where the race was worth only 1,000 pounds it has steadily climbed with the importance of the race to now be worth over $3,000,000 and has built a reputation as one of the great races held on Australian turf.

The WS Cox Plate is known as 'the race where legends are made' and has served up plenty of wonderful memories. Who can forget the roar of the crowd and the classic Bill Collin's quote "Dulcify's going to win by a minute", when the mighty Dulcify shot clear in the straight in 1979 to win by seven lengths and become an immortal of the turf.

That memorable day in 1986 when Bonecrusher and Our Waverly Star went toe to toe well before the home turn to stage one of the most exciting clashes ever witnessed in Australian racing where the legendary Bill Collins again added to the excitement when he uttered the words "and Bonecrusher races into equine immortality" as Bonecrusher went to the line ahead of his New Zealand counterpart.

The WS Cox Plate is full of great moments in racing 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.

The Melbourne Cup is the race for the people, while the WS Cox Plate is the race for purists.

Ocean Park (2012) won the Gr1 Caulfield Stakes over 2000m at Caulfield on his way to winning this event and recent WS Cox Plate winners include Pinker Pinker (2011) and So You Think (2009-10).

2011 WS Cox Plate result
1. $6.00 Ocean Park 57.5 Glen Boss
2. $9.00 All Too Hard 49.5 Chris Munce
3. $5.50 Pierro 49.5 Corey Brown

then followed
4. $18.00 Ethiopia 57.5 Rhys McLeod
5. $17.00 Shoot Out 59.0 Hugh Bowman
6. $41.00 Southern Speed 57.0 Luke Nolen
7. $5.00 Green Moon 59.0 Craig Williams
8. $10.00 Proisir 49.5 Craig Newitt
9. $31.00 Sincero 59.0 Michael Rodd
10. $61.00 Happy Trails 59.0 Kerrin McEvoy
11. $8.50 More Joyous 57.0 Nash Rawiller
12. $101.00 Linton 59.0 Steven Arnold
13. $81.00 Glass Harmonium 59.0 James McDonald
14. $26.00 Rekindled Interest 59.0 Dwayne Dunn

Margins: Neck, 3 3/4 len
Time: 2:04.14

WS Cox Plate recent winners & placegetters
Year	Winner	2nd	3rd	Time
2012	Ocean Park	All Too Hard	Pierro	2:04.1
2011	Pinker Pinker	Jimmy Choux	Rekindled Interest	2:05.3
2010	So You Think	Zipping	Whobegotyou	2:07.4
2009	So You Think	Manhattan Rain	Zipping	2:03.9
2008	Maldivian	Zipping	Samantha Miss	2:06.9
2007	El Segundo	Wonderful World	Haradasun	2:06.3
2006	Fields Of Omagh	El Segundo	Pompeii Ruler	2:06.9
2005	Makybe Diva	Lotteria	Fields Of Omagh	2:09.3
2004	Savabeel	Fields Of Omagh	Starcraft	2:06.9
2003	Fields Of Omagh	Defier	Lonhro	2:07.6
2002	Northerly	Defier	Grandera	2:06.3
2001	Northerly	Sunline	Viscount	2:05.8
2000	Sunline	Diatribe	Referral	2:07.7
1999	Sunline	Tie The Knot	Sky Heights	2:05.4
1998	Might And Power	Northern Drake	Tycoon Lil	2:03.5
1997	Dane Ripper	Filante	Vialli	2:07.7
1996	Saintly	Filante	All Our Mob	2:05.7
1995	Octagonal	Mahogany	Station Hand	2:06.3
1994	Solvit	Rough Habit	Redding	2:02.6
1993	The Phantom Chance	Solvit	Golden Sword	2:02.8
1992	Super Impose	Kinjite	Slight Chance	2:05.5
1991	Surfers Paradise	Super Impose	Sydeston	2:03.8
1990	Better Loosen Up	Sydeston	Canny Lad	2:01.5
1989	Almaarad	Stylish Century	Empire Rose	2:03.2
1988	Our Poetic Prince	Horlicks	Bonecrusher	2:06.9
1987	Rubiton	Our Poetic Prince	Fair Sir	2:02.9
1986	Bonecrusher	Our Waverley Star	The Filbert	2:07.2
1985	Rising Prince	Roman Artist	Drawn	2:05.3
1984	Red Anchor	Street Cafe	King Delamere	2:03.7
1983	Strawberry Road	Kiwi Slave	Mr. Mcginty	2:09.1
1982	Kingston Town	Grosvenor	My Axeman	2:05.5
1981	Kingston Town	Lawman	Binbinga	2:06.7
1980	Kingston Town	Prince Ruling	Our Paddy Boy	2:07.3
1979	Dulcify	Shivaree	Lawman	2:04.9
1978	So Called	Family Of Man	Karaman	2:08.7
1977	Family Of Man	Raffindale	Vice Regal	2:05.3
1976	Surround	Unaware	Better Draw	2:04.3
1975	Fury?s Order	Kiwi Can	Analight	2:20.4
1974	Battle Heights	Taras Bulba	Bellota	2:09.9
1973	Taj Rossi	Swell Time	Zambari	2:08.3
1972	Gunsynd	All Shot	Magnifique	2:01.9
1971	Tauto	Igloo	Beau Sovereign	2:03.9
1970	Abdul	Tails	Rough N Tumble	2:05.5