About the race
The W.S. Cox Plate, run as the Ladbrokes Cox Plate, is a Group 1 weight-for-age race over 2040m for three-year-olds and upwards, staged by the Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC). It was first run on 28 October 1922 and is named after William Samuel Cox, the club’s founder; the MVRC calls it the weight-for-age championship of Australasia. Total prize money was raised to $6,000,000 for the first time in 2025, with $4,000,000 to the winner, according to the club.
Via Sistina won in 2024 and again in 2025, and the IFHA rated the 2025 running at 119.25, joint 32nd in its list of the world’s top 100 Group 1 races. The 106th running, on Saturday 24 October 2026, will be held at Flemington, the first time the race has left Moonee Valley, while The Valley is redeveloped. The MVRC expects the race to return there once the redevelopment is finished, around mid-2027.
The 2025 running
| Date | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via Sistina | n/v | n/v | n/v |
From the official result.
Recognition and facts
- 2026 venue
- Flemington Racecourse, for the first time, during the Moonee Valley redevelopment (MVRC)
- Distance history
- 1900m (1922 to 1943), 2000m (1944 to 1973), 2050m (1974 to 1985), 2040m since 1986 (MVRC)
- Ballot exemptions
- Winner of the Group 2 Feehan Stakes; the Japan Cup and Takarazuka Kinen are also ballot-exempt races (MVRC)
- First prize
- $4,000,000 since 2025 (MVRC)
- 2026 race listing
- Group 1, 2040m, Flemington, 24 October 2026 (Racing Victoria feature race conditions page)
Questions readers ask
When is the Cox Plate run in 2026?
On Saturday 24 October 2026, at Flemington rather than Moonee Valley, according to the Moonee Valley Racing Club.
What is the prize fund of the Cox Plate?
$6,000,000 (Australian dollars), first offered in 2025 and stated again for 2026, with $4,000,000 to the winner.
Who won the Cox Plate in 2025?
Via Sistina, who also won in 2024, according to the Moonee Valley Racing Club.
Sources
The rank and rating are from the IFHA's LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025, published 21 January 2026, which ranks races by the ratings of their first four finishers. Other facts are from the pages listed below.