2010 Cox Plate

The 2010 Cox Plate is the continuation of an 88 year old tradition. Held annually as part of the impressive Spring Racing Carnival, the Cox Plate is a Group 1 racing highlight of the carnival, deemed one of Australia’s most select and important horse races. The feature race in the Moonee Valley Carnival meeting, it is the nation’s leading weight for age horse race run over 2040 metres. With prize money of over $3 million on offer, it is the nation’s second richest horse race, beaten only by the Melbourne Cup.

For complete coverage of the 2011 race visit Cox Plate 2011.

A race for three year olds, the Cox Plate was first run in 1922 named in honour of the man who founded the Mooney Valley racecourse where the Cox Plate is held, William Samuel Cox. Positioned between the Spring Carnival’s other two major races, the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, the Cox Plate day attracts the best of Australia’s racing stocks. As well as being part of the Spring Carnival, the 2010 Cox Plate also holds the title of the only southern hemisphere race out of the 13 included in the prestigious World Series Racing Championship, the Grand Prix circuit of horse racing.

Hailed as “the greatest two minutes in sport” by many sport and racing aficionados, the Cox Plate’s popularity is ever increasing as the number of nominations has grown in recent years. In 2008 the total number of entries was 172, then for 2009 this jumped to 196. The 2010 Cox Plate saw a slight drop in nominees, down to 186, but this still hints at the massive popularity of the race. The rising popularity and status of the Cox Plate means punters are looking towards future Cox Plate betting odds earlier and earlier. The 2010 Cox Plate will be held on Saturday October 23, so mark it down on your calendar.

Because of the number of significant contenders every year, Cox Plate bets and wagers placed on this race are some of the highest in Australian horse racing. The Cox Plate betting fields open months ahead of the race, as soon as the first nominations are listed around early August. However, many punters choose to wait until closer to the race before placing their bets, as the weights and handicaps for all the feature Spring Carnival races including the 2010 Cox Plate are released in early September, and these can have a major impact on the betting odds and selections at sites like SportsBet. Although, if you have followed the form of the early nominations and are keen to place a Fixed Odds bet early, there is some great value wagers available and some generous early odds.

Betting on Cox Plate favourites has proven successful recently, as an outsider hasn’t won the plate in over 10 years. Many impressive horses have been triumphant in the Cox Plate including Phar Lap, Dulcify, Kingston Town, Gunsynd, Rising Fast and Makybe Diva. In the 2010 Cox Plate, look for horses who dominated the 2009 Spring Carnival races as this is usually a good indication for who will win and place the next year. This race is also popular with punters because it forms part of the main Spring Carnival betting double, the Caulfield Cup – Cox Plate double, and it is also the first race to feature in the Cox Plate – Melbourne Cup double.

There has been some talk over recent years about the Cox Plate becoming a night time event, and preparations are in place for the 2010 Cox Plate to be the first running of the race in the evening.