The Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival takes place over two days in October 2022 (Friday 21 and Saturday 22). This is the centenary event for the main Cox Plate race, with the first one having been held in 1922. The event is held at the Moonee Valley Racecourse in Moonee Ponds, a suburb of Melbourne. The Moonee Valley Racecourse first opened in 1883 and has seen many famous horses race over the years.
Manikato Stakes
The main race on the Friday is the Manikato Stakes, which is race seven of eight. This Group 1 race is 1200 meters long and will have up to fourteen racehorses competing. This race is for sprinters and was first run in 1968. This year marks the 55th edition of the race. It is also an under-lights evening race and Australia’s richest with a total prize purse of $2,000,000AUD.
The race was named after the legendary racehorse Manikato who had much success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning 20 Group 1 races in his career. Manikato was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also the second horse to win over $1,000,000AUD in Stakes races, with the first being Kingston Town, another legendary Australian racehorse. The race name was changed from the Freeway Stakes to the Manikato Stakes after the horse’s death in 1984. The latest horse to win this race was Jonker in 2021. Another successful racehorse to win this race twice was Hey Doc, who won in 2017 and 2020, in the latter of which he set a new record track time.
Although it is a sprinter race, four winners of this race have gone on the win the W.S. Cox plate which is a much longer race.
W.S. Cox Plate
The next day’s main race is the W.S. Cox Plate which should need no introduction to avid racegoers. It is a Group 1 weight-for-age race that is 2040 meters in length. This year’s race is actually the 102nd edition as two versions of the race were run in 1946. The first race in 1922 was won by thoroughbred racehorse Violincello who also won the Caulfield Cup the year before. Many legendary racehorses have won this race over the past century including Phar Lap, (1930, 1931), Tobin Bronze, (1966, 1967), Kingston Town, (1980, 1981, 1982), and perhaps most notably Winx, who has won the race a record four times, (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). It is one of Australia’s richest turf races with a current total prize purse of $5,000,000AUD. Be sure to study your Cox Plate odds and check the performance of favorites in previous races to be on point for race day.
The race is named after legendary racing pioneer William Samuel (W.S.) Cox, who founded the Moonee Valley Racing Club in 1883.
On both days of the carnival, there is plenty of entertainment besides the races themselves, which includes DJs and live music between races, as well as plenty of bars and food outlets to peruse. Members can relax in one of the many lounges the venue has to offer while enjoying access to a wide range of gourmet food and drink options. There are also multiple ways to get to the event with public transportation close to the racecourse and well as many places to park if you decide to drive.
