Cox Plate Tips, Best Bets, Odds, Field & More 2026

Australianbettingsites.net.au has every angle of the Cox Plate covered for you. The Cox Plate is one of the biggest Group One races on the calendar, and we always see some of the best local and international racehorses head to Moonee Valley Racecourse to compete in the 2,040m race.

Best Cox Plate Betting Sites

Before we get going, there are some quick facts about this race that you should be across:

The Cox Plate is one for the purists. It is known as the top Weight-For-Age (WFA) race in Australia, and it is also referred to as Australasia’s WFA championship. The race holds an important component in Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival, and is mentioned in the same vein as the Caulfield Cup, Victoria Derby and Melbourne Cup.

With $5 million in prize money on the line each year, we always see some of the best middle-distance and staying racehorses compete in the Cox Plate. The WFA conditions ensure it is a true test, and the best racehorse usually prevails. 

The race was named after William Samuel Cox, who was the founder of the Moonee Valley Racing Club. First run in 1922, the Cox Plate was won by Violoncello. More recently, the Cox Plate has been intertwined with who many believe to be the greatest of all time; Winx.

The Cox Plate was Winx’s Grand Final each year, and she won this race four years in a row, from 2015 to 2018. Winx won 33 consecutive races in a row, including 25 Group One victories. Her four-peat of the Cox Plate is something we have never seen before and is unlikely to ever be seen in the future. 

It wasn’t just the fact that Winx won four in a row; it was also the way she won. Especially in 2015 and 2016, she put massive gaps between herself and the rest of the field, completely asserting her dominance. 

Kingston Town did win the Cox Plate three times in a row from 1980 to 1982, but that is the closest any other runner has come. Also, the winner of the Cox Plate is exempt from the ballot for the Melbourne Cup (although Winx never ended up running in the races that stops the nation).

We will provide Cox Plate tips each year, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for our horse racing tips closer to the time of the race. In fact, we provide tips and best bets every day of the week, so even if it isn’t Cox Plate race day, there is still something happening.

For our Cox Plate tips (and other races tips, like Melbourne Cup tips, Golden Slipper tips and more), we take the time to review the entire field, analysing their chances of success in the big race. Looking into the form guide, key stats and other indicators is important when trying to find the next winner of the Cox Plate.

If you want to make betting on the Cox Plate a more enjoyable experience, here are some recommended tips to follow:

• Choose The Right Bet Type - There are many different betting markets available for the Cox Plate. For those who are new to the horse racing industry, it can get a bit confusing. We recommend you stick with the simple bet types to start with, and then you can build your knowledge up from there.
• Stick to a Plan - Before you start betting for the day, it is a good idea to develop a plan (and then make sure you stick with it). In the heat of the moment, it can be easy to get a little carried away, so having a strong plan in place can help you remain in control.
• Use Multiple Bookies - There are so many different horse racing betting sites in Australia, so make sure you take advantage of all the different options available. Different betting sites will likely offer different odds, promotions and more. By not using multiple bookies, you are missing out on all that.
• Check Out The Form Guide - The form guide will hold important information that can help you find the next potential winner of the Cox Plate. This includes data like recent form, track/ trip record, jockey/ horse relationship and more. Looking into form indicators is one of the best things you can do when trying to find a winner.

As we mentioned in the section above, there are so many betting sites available in Australia. With so many options, it does become a little difficult to know which one is best for you. The good news is that you don’t have to choose one and stick with it; you can open multiple accounts with different bookies if you like.

As we have previously mentioned, there are a lot of betting markets available for the Cox Plate. From the humble win/ place bets to something a little more complicated, like quaddies, you have a lot of options available. You must understand what’s involved with each bet type before finalising any bets.

These are some of the most common betting markets available for the Cox Plate:

As one of the biggest races of the year, we always see a high-quality field for the Cox Plate. A couple of days before the big race, the final field is confirmed, along with the barrier draw. This is important information as the barriers can have a fairly significant impact on how the race will play out for each runner.

When you are looking into the field for the Cox Plate, it is a good idea to check out the form guide as well. Finding patterns in the data and form indicators is a great way of spotting the next potential winner. You can find form guide information on all of the best bookies for horse racing, which includes runner comments, recent results, career stats and more.

Check out the entire field for the latest Cox Plate here:

If you have the time before the Cox Plate, we recommend shopping around for the best odds. We find that sometimes different bookies will offer different prices for the same market. So, by spending a little bit of extra time finding the best odds, you can get more bang for your buck.

Using an odds comparison tool can help speed up the process, but they may not necessarily have all the bookies you want to check, and these tools are usually only available for fixed win/ place markets. In reality, though, it doesn’t take that long to manually check a handful of bookies to lock in the best price.

If you are looking at betting on roughies or exotic markets, where the odds are usually higher, shopping around becomes even more vital. We find that the biggest discrepancies between bookies occur in markets where the odds are higher. 

While you may not think it makes that much of a difference, if you are a regular bettor, it really does all add up in the end. So, it’s worth checking out bookies that have a reputation for providing competitive odds, like Unibet, PlayUp, Bet365 and more.

The 2024 Cox Plate winner, Via Sistina, managed to back her performance up and win this race again in 2025. However, it wasn’t by the mammoth 8L margin we saw in 2024; instead, she won by just 0.1L to Buckaroo, who jumped from barrier four. Via Sistina was ridden by James McDonald, who has now won four Cox Plates in a row.

Via Sistina was the narrow favourite, and Treasurethe Moment was another one of the more favoured runners in the Cox Plate. Treasurethe Moment ended up finishing in third position, 1.6L off the leader. There was a total of 7.7L that split the first and last runners across the finishing line.

See where every runner finished in the latest Cox Plate here:

See how the latest Cox Plate unfolded for each runner right here:

There have been many high-quality racehorses that have graced the honours board for the Cox Plate, including:

Before you go, we have one final section for you. We have gone through and answered some of the most commonly asked questions about the Cox Plate right here. See if your question gets answered in this section.