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2023 Cox Plate Results

• 1st: #1 Romantic Warrior ($3.60F)
• 2nd: #3 Mr Brightside
• 3rd: #4 Alligator Blood
• 4th: #9 Duais

It was a Ladbrokes Cox Plate 2023 result for the ages with jockey James McDonald going back-to-back after his success on Anamoe last spring when narrowly getting up on the outside aboard the Danny Shum-trained Hong Kong raider Romantic Warrior ($3.60F). Denied by a nose was the Team Hayes-trained Mr Brightside, while Alligator Blood snared third after looking the winner inside the final 50m.

Click here to read more on the exciting 2023 Ladbrokes Cox Plate win by Romantic Warrior.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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Each Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival the $5 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) runs at Moonee Valley Racecourse and official Cox Plate tips are out as soon as the field of weight-for-age hopefuls is released on the Tuesday before the race runs in late October.

Early Cox Plate tips favour proven weight-for-age performers and classy gallopers that ran in the previous spring’s Cox Plate trifecta. All-in Cox Plate betting is often led by the reigning Cox Plate winner that the Cox Plate tips predict will go back-to-back in the ‘race where legends are made’. History shows this can be a successful way to punt with Winx (2015-18), So You Think (2009-10), Northerly (2001-2002) and Sunline (1999-2000) recent Cox Plate champs to secure successive editions of the classic.

Other Cox Plate tips to consider, which we look at in more detail below, include studying the results of the traditional Cox Plate lead-up races and checking the Cox Plate odds on offer for the favourite in the field.

2023 Cox Plate Tips

The 2023 Cox Plate tips will be published right here closer to race day with the race scheduled to run on Saturday October 28, 2023.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2023 COX PLATE TIPS & BEST BETS

To Win: #1 Romantic Warrior ($4 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Fantastic edition of the Cox Plate and we’ve got one of the more open affairs in recent years, but it is hard to go past this Hong Kong-trained favourite. The Sha Tin superstar will relish the 2040m second-up with a run down under now under his belt. His record at this distance is outstanding (7:5-1-0) and includes two Queen Elizabeth II Cup victories. Was a slashing fourth fresh in the Turnbull over the distance at Flemington making up late ground behind Gold Trip. James McDonald retains the ride and a decent barrier seven draw. Plenty to like and plenty to suggest he can salute for the punters. Easing slightly adding to his appeal. Lots of hype on the triple Group 1 winner but expect him to live up to expectations here so long as he is in for the fight.

The Danger: #4 Alligator Blood ($5.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

He is slightly shorter than would like but this Waterhouse/Bott-trained galloper is going great guns and peaking at exactly the right time to prove he is right up to a Cox Plate. Back-to-back Group 1 victories over very good fields by impressive margins in the lead-up. Won the Underwood over 1800m then silenced the naysayers with his barnstorming performance over 2000m at Caulfield to salute in the Might And Power by two lengths. Tim Clark rode him to perfection there and retains the mount for the acid test. The Valley hasn’t been this horse’s preferred track but he has run well in his two previous starts here. Fifth only two lengths beaten at 20/1 behind Anamoe in last year’s race from wide out in gate 12 and fourth, again narrowly beaten, a length behind Mr Brightside in the autumn. Going the best he ever has, was first to draw with the ideal gate five start, likely to be up on speed, and with only a short straight to sustain a run he could just do it!

Each Way: #5 Gold Trip ($8.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

If Gold Trip wins this he’ll go down as one of the best, ever, and really live up to that huge purchase price. The Maher/Eustace import is on the same trajectory as last spring when he won the Melbourne Cup after a Caulfield Cup second and Cox Plate ninth. It takes a pretty great horse to run in three majors in as many weeks and he’s doing it again here. Third in the Caulfield Cup last week by the six-year-old stallion was excellent. Forgivable Cox Plate performance last year and drawn well mid-field 12 months on. Mark Zahra is going as good as the horse and Turnbull Stakes victory two back was exceptional at this distance. Blinkers on. Watch him late.

Best Roughie: #8 Fangirl ($8.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Does Waller win his fifth Cox Plate here? He famously prepared four-time hero Winx (2015-18) and is after more glory. Fangirl is a very nice mare. She is a multiple Group 1 winner and was outstanding in Sydney last start dominating the beaten favourite Mr Brightside by nearly three lengths in the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m). The five-year-old daughter of Sebring is yet to win over further than 1850m but her margin last time out suggests she’ll get the trip. Sydney has always been her go to. How will she be the left-handed way at the notoriously tight Moonee Valley circuit? These are a couple of the questions she must answer in her hunt for greatness. One of the best in Zac Purton riding is another plus and she rates well. She is no Winx but she might just be a Cox Plate winner come Saturday afternoon.

Cox Plate Lead Up Races

There are a number of traditional lead-up races into the Cox Plate field each year including the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) held a fortnight earlier for three-year-old hopefuls.

The last Cox Plate winning three-year-old to come off a run in that year’s Caulfield Guineas was Shamus Award (3rd in 2013) who made history as the first maiden to take out Australasia’s weight-for-age championship.

In 2021 the Caulfield Guineas winner Anamoe was narrowly denied going down a short-head to State Of Rest in the Cox Plate quinella and the subsequent protest by his jockey Craig Williams was dismissed.

Anamoe returned in the 2022 Cox Plate to salute for the punters as a four-year-old.

The other key Cox Plate lead-up race is the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m), currently run as the Might And Power Stakes, a weight-for-age race contested at Caulfield Racecourse two weeks before Cox Plate Day. Previously known as the Yalumba Stakes, this race last produced a Cox Plate winner in 2016 with superstar mare and returning champion Winx doing the double followed by Anamoe (2022) who also did the double.

In 2023 the Might And Power Stakes winner Alligator Blood went down by just a short neck running third in the Cox Plate trifecta.

It’s also important to look at the international Cox Plate lead-up races for overseas-trained runners taking on the locals. In 2019 the Japanese-trained Lys Gracieux became the second northern hemisphere-trained Cox Plate champion along with Irish raider Adelaide (2014), and in 2021 a third international saluted with the Irish-trained State Of Rest. Another international visitor was on top in 2023 with Hong Kong-trained Romantic Warrior just too good for the locals.

Cox Plate Favourite

The Cox Plate favourite is the shortest-priced of the runners in the markets and the one the bookmakers have top of their Cox Plate tips for that year.

While the Cox Plate top fancy often has the best lead-up form, track / distance record and is considered the best winning hope their record isn’t exactly promising in this race.

From 2006 – 2023 eight Cox Plate favourites saluted for the punters including four-time hero Winx (2015-18), Lys Gracieux ($2.50 in 2019), Anamoe ($2.40 in 2022), and Romantic Warrior ($3.60 in 2023).

The 2021 Cox Plate results saw the $3.60 equal favourites Anamoe and Verry Elleegant run second and third respectively behind the Joseph O’Brien-trained State Of Rest.