FEATURE PREVIEWS: COX PLATE

TRACK: MOONEE VALLEY | DISTANCE: 2040m | RAIL POSITION: True | TRACK CONDITIONS: GOOD 4 | PRIZE MONEY: $5,000,000

One of the premier G1 races on the Australian and World Racing calendar. In recent years Winx won it 4 years in a row, plus Via Sistina last year, whilst overseas imports Romantic Warrior, Lys Gracieux, Sir Dragonet, State Of Rest and Adelaide are also recent winners. In fact, take Winx out of the equation and imports have won 5 of the past 7 years. But we don’t have an import running this year.

· 3yo (1/19), 4yo (6/36), 5yo (2/50), 6yo (3/35), 7yo (2/20), 8yo+ (0/15)
· Average Prizemoney $300k+ (6/16)
· Barrier 1-2 (1/28), 3-11 (12/114), 12+ (1/23)
· Days To Last Start 14 (4/76), 21 (6/44), 40+ (4/20), Other (0/25)
· Career Starts 4-15 (8/66), 16-22 (4/45), 23+ (2/54)
· 1st up (3/15), 2nd up (1/8), 3rd up (2/21), 4th up (5/53), 5th up (3/55), 6th+ up (0/13)
· Pace (1/25), Handy/Midfield/Back (13/137)
· Geldings (1/68), Entires (5/53), Mares (7/28), Colts (1/15), Fillies (0/1)
· Tab No 1-5 (1/66), 6-15 (13/99)
· Waller (5/20)
· 59kg (2/91), 47kg to 57kg (12/74)
· Last Start Finishing Position 1 (9/48), 2-4 (5/73), 5+ (0/44)
· Last Start G1 (13/144), G2 (1/11), Other (0/10)
· Last Start Positions Gained -10 to 0 (0/44), 1 to 13 (14/121)
· Second Last Start Finishing Position 1 (7/52), 2-3 (6/54), 4+ (1/59)
· IR1 (7/14), IR $1-$7 (9/36), RVR1 (6/14), RVR90+ (6/12), RVR70+ (9/41)
· (7/57) trained at Flemington, (5/34) trained overseas, (2/74) elsewhere in Australia

6. Via Sistina
8. Aeliana
2. Antino
9. Nepotism

Average tempo expected here. Treasurethe Moment & Light Infantry Man look to set the speed. Attrition, Aeliana & Via Sistina sit handy. Nepotism, Antino & Buckaroo out the back. Antino likely to whip around and inject some speed into the race at some point from mid race onwards.

2. Antino – G1 Toorak Handicap winner by 6.3L (+4.3), G2 Hollindale winner by 4L (+17.8) and G1 Doomben Cup winner by 4.2L (+5.3). Capable of taking a slowly run race by the scruff of the neck. Big chance.

4. Buckaroo – Last year was a dominant G1 Underwood winner by 3.4L (+4.4), then 2nd in the G1 Turnbull (+2.3) and G1 Caulfield Cup (+11.2). This prep ran 2nd beaten 0.5L by Sir Delius in the G1 Underwood, then 3rd in the G1 Caulfield Stakes when perhaps the track too firm. Could bounce back on the softer surface here.

6. Via Sistina – 9 G1 wins from 14 Australian starts. Won this race by 8.1L (+17.4) last year. Has been solid this prep so far with a win and two placings. Set to peak here.

7. Treasurethe Moment – 14 starts for 10 wins and 2 seconds. Has been comfortably beaten by Pride Of Jenni & Globe past two starts after suffering colic. Needs to improve sharply.

8. Aeliana – Future superstar who won the ATC Derby by 5.1L in the Autumn after running 2nd beaten a nose in the G1 Rosehill Guineas. Ran two G1 seconds before 5th in the Turnbull. Can’t discount.

9. Nepotism – G1 Champagne Stakes winner as a 2yo. Hasn’t impressed so far this Spring but gets a featherweight here and could really appreciate the step up to 2040m.

SUMMARY

The W.S. Cox Plate is regarded as Australasia’s weight-for-age championship, attracting some of the best horses from Australia, New Zealand and further afield to The Valley each October to compete in the $5 million showpiece. First run in 1922, the 2040m contest is named in honour of the Moonee Valley Racing Club’s founder, William Samuel Cox. The final field, which has a limit of 14 runners, is determined each year by the club’s committee. For the best Cox Plate tips and predictions, head to the Betfair Hub where our team of experts analyse the chances of every runner.  

NOTABLE WINNERS

In 2021, Joseph O’Brien’s State Of Rest became the third internationally-trained galloper – after Adelaide (trained by Joseph’s famous father Aidan) in 2014 and Lys Gracieux (Yoshito Yahagi) in 2019 – to win the Cox Plate. State of Rest, who was ridden by John Allen, was only awarded the win after surviving a protest lodged by connections of the runner-up Anamoe. 

Prior to Japanese raider Lys Gracieux’s emphatic win as the hot favourite, the Cox Plate had been dominated by Winx. Chris Waller’s mighty mare became the first horse in history to win the Cox Plate on four occasions, as she swept to victory between 2015-2018 to surpass the feats of three-time winner Kingston Town (1980-82). Winx set a new track record on two occasions, first in 2015 before breaking her own record two years later, when she completed the course in 2m 2.94s. 

Other notable winners include Rising Fast, who in 1954 became the first – and so far only – horse in history to complete the clean sweep of the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup. To help you find the winner this year, check out the Cox Plate 2022 tips section on the Betfair Hub where our team of experts study the form of each and every runner. 

FAST FACTS     

• Favourites have an overall win rate of $41 in the Cox Plate. 
• The win rate increases to 70% for favourites which started at less than even money. 
• The shortest favourite in the history of the Cox Plate was Phar Lap, who jumped at odds of $1.07 when successfully defending his crown in 1931. 
• In the modern era, Winx survived a sustained challenge from Humidor to salute at the starting price of $1.10 in 2017, before creating history in 2018 as the $1.20 favourite.
• The last favourite to win the Cox Plate was Lys Gracieux, who prevailed at the starting price of $2.50 in 2019.     

With our team of tipsters dissecting the formlines from home and overseas, look no further than the Betfair Hub for your Cox Plate best bets. The Valley is a horses for course type of track, with some gallopers struggling to adapt to the tight turns, so the race can be a tricky proposition but you can rely on Betfair to deliver expert Cox Plate betting tips. 

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