WATCH: The 10 greatest Cox Plate winners

The beauty of the Cox Plate is the great stories are almost endless. In reviewing the greatest moments of our best race, there aren’t many Cox Plate winners that couldn’t be included for one reason or another. So in a “by-no-means-exhaustive” effort, we’ve put together just some of the magical moments that Moonee Valley has played host to on its premier day. Here’s our pick of the greatest Cox Plate winners…

Cox Plate Winners: The 10 Greatest

1979: Fleeting greatness

Dulcify might be racing’s Hendrix or Cobain: a superstar gone far too soon, perhaps before we’d seen the best. As a four-year-old in 1979, Dulcify had the Victoria Derby, ATC Derby, Rosehill Guineas, Australian Cup and Turnbull Stakes to his name.

The Cox Plate expectations were huge and as always, he delivered on the big stage. Starting 7-4 favourite, jockey Brent Thomson didn’t even need his whip as his charge broke away at the 800-metre mark to win by seven lengths.

He won the Mackinnon a week later, before entering the Melbourne Cup as red-hot favourite. Tragedy would strike when contact in the run resulted in a broken pelvis. The champion was put to rest that night. We’ll never know what might have been, but you’d have been brave to bet against him joining the list of multiple Cox Plate winners.

1982: “Kingston Town can’t win…”

Aiming to be the first horse to win three Cox Plates, Kingston Town never looked comfortable throughout – least of all at about the 500-metre mark, with Peter Cook giving him everything and Bill Collins muttering the famous words…

1986: The Race of the Century

The two Kiwi beasts, Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star, stage what many class as the greatest two-horse battle ever fought on the Australian turf. Both would have been deserving Cox Plate winners. The breathless, straining call of the great Collins provides the perfect soundtrack – such was the action, he was virtually unable to take a breath for the final minute of the race. He manages to spit out one of the iconic lines in Australian racing history with his last effort.

1990: Better Hurry Up

Leader Stylish Century set a scorching pace in 1990, and by the halfway point was over ten lengths clear of the rest of the field – where 2-1 favourite Better Loosen Up was bringing up the rear.

At around the 1000-metre mark, David Hayes’ superstar was out of the camera frame and estimated to be up to thirty lengths from the leader. Stylish Century was gassed, and started to come back to the pack, which was overtaken completely in a herculean effort by the favourite.

He’d find the line in time to add his name to the honour roll of Cox Plate winners. He’d soon add the Mackinnon Stakes, as well as the Japan Cup.

1992: Carnage at the Valley

The infamous 1992 edition had enough stories to fill a book of its own. The 14-horse race, full of giant names of the turf, was relatively uneventful until the 600-metre mark, when all hell broke loose.

Hot favourite Naturalism tumbled to the turf, throwing Mick Dittman right into the thick of the mob. Palace Reign (Peter Hutchinson) and Sydeston (Neville Wilson) went down as well. Champion Let’s Elope then pushed to the lead and looked to have the race in her keeping.

But emerging from a haze of further bumps and checks, Greg Hall and Super Impose somehow got down the outside to win. Protests were fired in from all angles… minor placings were amended… but as on the track, the winner was left standing.

1998: The Valley rumbles

This was Might And Power in typical arrogant, front-running manner, further solidifying his greatness over a Cox Plate field. A year after his Cups double, the big fella completed his treble of Melbourne majors in signature style.

What a MIGHTY horse!

All hail MIGHT AND POWER! 💪 pic.twitter.com/gaKgIeJEBF

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 26, 2017

2000: Sunline scorches the turf

The passing the millennium brought us twenty years of magnificent mares, and Sunline is the one who started it all. Starting as defending champion and 11-8 favourite, she got this one over nice and early, and was already out by a couple of lengths at the 600-metre mark.

Greg Childs took a cursory look over his shoulder, turned around and held on. She’d match Dulcify’s seven-length winning margin and add her name to one of the most prestigious lists in racing: the multiple Cox Plate winners.

“She might be the greatest in the world, Sunline.”

The day SUNLINE went back-to-back in the Cox Plate. pic.twitter.com/hxcSro00ux

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 26, 2017

2005: The Diva takes the stage

Having tasted defeat in her two previous races at The Valley, there were suggestions that the tight-turning track just might be Makybe Diva’s undoing. Already a superstar with back-to-back Melbourne Cups under her belt, she was very well supported and was sent out at even money. On turning for home she was eight-wide in an enormous wall of ten horses and the race was well and truly on. She proved her class and champion qualities by responding and running away with it. A little over a week later she would cement her legend, claiming her third successive Melbourne Cup.

“The champion comes home to win the Cox Plate.”

Makybe Diva’s ’05 Spring
Memsie 🥇
Turnbull 🥇
Cox Plate 🥇
Melbourne Cup 🥇 pic.twitter.com/JrNAkjgE65

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 27, 2017

2016: The Winx Blitz

Winx does the back-to-back in what was probably the iconic performance of her career. She jumped at $1.70 – a massive price compared to the latter years of her career – and plenty of reasonable judges gave the red-hot Hartnell a good chance of knocking her off.

The two were side-by-side at the famous 600-metre mark and looked set for an epic showdown… but what happened next showed just how big a gap there was between Winx and Hartnell (and every other horse in the country).

2018: The Queen surpasses the King

In nearly 100 years only one horse had won the the great race three times. A few had threatened to equal the feat, but no thought had been given to the prospect of it being surpassed. Until 2017, when Winx won her third straight and immediately started tongues wagging… could she do it?

Months of conjecture followed… would they attempt it? Would they tackle a European campaign instead?

The path was finally set toward a historic fourth trip to the Valley, where the legendary mare would fulfill her destiny in trademark style.