It is with huge excitement that the Moonee Valley Racing Club has been informed that the 2016 William Hill Cox Plate has been recognised as the equal-second highest rated horse race in the world in the 2016 Longines World’s Best Horse Race Awards, the highest rating of any horse race in Australia ever recorded.
At the awards ceremony held overnight, Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) honoured the top racehorses and horse races from 2016 during a ceremony held at the iconic hotel Claridge’s in London.
With a race rating of 124.75, the William Hill Cox Plate was only 0.5 points from the number one rated race last year – the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Classic won by Arrogate. The Cox Plate is the equal highest rated turf thoroughbred race, sharing this honour with the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes.
Introduced three years ago, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities uses the international horse ratings as determined by a panel of international handicappers of the top 4 placegetters of each race to determine the overall race rating.
In winning back-to-back W.S. Cox Plates, Winx was awarded a career high rating of 132 for her dominant 8 length victory. Winx has also been rated the third highest racehorse in the world, as well as the highest rated turf horse and highest rated filly / mare in the world, in the 2016 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Awards.
Hartnell, 2nd in the Cox Plate, is rated equal 8th horse in the world at 124. Yankee Rose, 3rd in the Cox Plate is equal 217 at 115, and Vadamos, 4th in the Cox Plate is equal 34 at 120.
“This is a red letter day for the Moonee Valley Racing Club and confirms what we already knew, which is the W.S. Cox Plate is one the most prestigious races in the word,” said Michael Browell, MVRC CEO.
“To be recognised as having the equal second highest race in the world is a huge thrill for the MVRC. The W.S. Cox Plate is the Race Where Legends Are Made, and we now have a rating that proves that on the world stage” Browell says.
In developing the two-day William Hill Cox Plate Carnival in 2012, the Club focused on attracting leading international horses to contest the W.S. Cox Plate. Invitations are issued to the best turf middle distance horses to come to Australia and contest the Weight-For-Age Championship. Adelaide was the first internationally trained Cox Plate winner for Aidan O’Brien in 2014. Highland Reel, 3rd in 2015, and Vadamos, 4th in 2016, continue to build the international profile of the W.S. Cox Plate.
With an international race rating of 124.75, the 2016 William Hill Cox Plate is the highest rated race run in Australia since the inception of the Top 100 Longines races.
“The Melbourne Spring Carnival is one of the great international racing carnivals. Racing Victoria are to be congratulated in working to continue to grow international participation in the feature races, therefore increasing the quality of the racing across the Spring Carnival,” said Michael Browell.
With Winx targeting the 2017 Cox Plate, the Moonee Valley Racing Club will continue to target leading horses from around the world to compete in our signature race.
“Winx is the pin-up of Australian racing and to have her come to The Valley and win two W.S. Cox Plates in the fashion she has places her as one of the truly great Cox Plate champions,” said Browell.
“Winx currently holds the Cox Plate race record of 2:02.98, as well as the record winning margin (8 lengths), and we look forward to her returning to The Valley to try and match Kingston Town’s record of three consecutive Cox Plate victories”.
The Club was also extremely pleased to see two of its other Group 1 races in the Moir Stakes (ranked equal 55th on 117.75) and the William Reid Stakes (equal 99th on 116) feature in the World’s Top 100 rated horse races.