Beginners Guide to Cox Plate Racing

In Australia, sports make up a considerable chunk of the economy, with a GDP of nearly 2 to 3 percent. Each year, approximately $50 billion is generated via sports of different kinds.

While there are many popular sports in Australia, horse racing is one of the most common and widely played sports. However, even horse racing is divided into many sub-categories. The most popular form is the Melbourne Cup, but the cox plate racing is still not too far behind. The cox plate is included in the international series and is well-reputed globally.

This beginners’ guide will learn the basic information about the cox plate races.

Distance and Age

Cox Plate Group 1 races are commonly called the “race where legends are born.” It is a weight-for-age race in which a distance of 2040 meters needs to be covered by horses aged 3 or above. Due to the nature of the race, the event is called the greatest two minutes in sports.

Notable Wins in the Cox Plat Group 1 Race

The Cox Plate events have been held since 1922. The first-ever event was won by Violoncello, a 7-year-old British stallion, for 1000 pounds as prize money.

Some of the notable winners that have won both the cox plate and the Melbourne Cup include the following:

•   Nightmarch
•   Phar Lap
•   Rising Fast
•   Saintly
•   Might and Power
•   Makybe Diva

While there are many notable winners in the Cox Plate, two stand out the most. These include the Winx and Kingston Town. The main reason these two stand out is that they are the only two horses in the sport’s history to win events for three years in a row.

International Events

Out of all the southern hemisphere horse racing events, the cox plate is the only sport in the international series. The most notable world series that include the cox plate racing include the following:

•   The Hong Kong International Cup
•   The Canadian International
•   The Japan Cup
•   USA’s Arlington Million
•   The Breeders Cup Turf
•   The Breeders Cup Classic
•   Germany’s Grosser Preis Von Baden
•   The Irish Company Stakes
•   UK’s Queen Elizabeth and King George VI Diamond Stakes (Ascot)

Cox Plate Betting

Like many other sports, cox plate is a popular sport for betting. Most of the major bets are placed online as you can easily live betting information on the cox plate on the internet. There are many different types of bets available online, including the following:

•   Winner: It is the horse that crosses the line first, thus winning the race
•   Exacta: Exacta refers to the first two horses that cross the finish line
•   First Four: As the name suggests, it means the first four horses that cross the finish line
•   Each Way: It is an equivalent of two bets, where the bettor places a bet on a horse that would win and a second bet on another horse in any place. 
•   Future betting or fixed odds is one of the most widely used bets. In this case, the odds keep fluctuating till the race starts. This betting greatly depends on the number of people betting on the race.
•   Quinella: It refers to the bets on the winner and runner-up. The order can be reversed.
•   Trifecta: It includes the first three horses that cross the finish line.
•   Multi: The multi-betting system involves different races or horses from the same race. The odds of each participant on which the bets are placed are multiplied to give the betters a final dividend.

Horse Training

Horses need to be trained in any horse racing sport, and the Cox Plate is no different. The horses require rigorous training before they are considered fit to run in a race.

Generally, the training starts when the horses are 18 months old. The horses are trained alongside other horses to mimic a racing situation. Furthermore, they are also taught to listen to the command of the jockey riding on top of them so that there aren’t any issues in the actual race.

Cantering, trotting, and walking are essential components of race training. After a few weeks, the horses learn to quicken their pace, strengthening their cardiovascular fitness.

Final Thoughts

Cox plate racing remains one of the most popular sports in Australia. Its events are also held in different parts of the world, making it a prominent horse racing event that can’t be overlooked. Every year, new horses are introduced, setting new records, and perhaps that is why cox plate is regarded as a legendary sport.

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