Australia’s best racehorse Winx is the headline first acceptance taken by Racing Victoria (RV) for the 2016 Cox Plate this Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Winx is the headline 2016 Cox Plate first acceptor for the Moonee Valley classic on October 22. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

On Tuesday RV received 87 first acceptances for the 96^th edition of the $3 million Group 1 W.S. Cox Plate (2040m) run at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Saturday October 22.

Cutting the number of hopefuls from 159 at nomination stage, this season’s Cox Plate first declarations were also down from 92 at this stage last year.

Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller has a total of seven entries still in contention for Australasia’s weight-for-age championship including the defending Cox Plate winner Winx.

Winx has won her past 10 races on the trot going back to May last year, including six elite level victories, and is the $2.40 favourite in all-in Cox Plate betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.

She missed out on a second-up Chelmsford Stakes run last Saturday due to a rain-affected Randwick track, but the star five-year-old daughter of Street Cry will next be seen in the $500,000 Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) on September 17.

Waller’s other headline Cox Plate hopes include multiple Group 1 winner Preferment who is three-from-six over the Cox Plate distance and three-year-old filly Omei Sword.

Omei Sword races this Saturday at Rosehill Gardens in the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) against her own kind and is also nominated for the two Guineas races over a mile in Melbourne on October 8.

To date the only three-year-old filly to win the Cox Plate was Surround back in 1976, but Waller has kept Omei Sword in the mix at this stage and she can be found at an all-in price of $31.

A total of 17 three-year-olds feature in Cox Plate first acceptances this season including three other fillies: Missrock, Sylpheed and David Vandyke’s ATC Sires’ Produce winner Yankee Rose who also runs in the Golden Rose on Saturday.

Three-year-old colts have a better recent Cox Plate record with five wins in the past 30 years, most recently when Shamus Award broke his maiden status in the 2013 edition of the classic.

The headline three-year-old colts and geldings this year include Divine Prophet for Team Hawkes and the Tony Pike-trained New Zealander Sacred Elixir who won Brisbane’s Group 1 J.J. Atkins (1600m) as a two-year-old.

A strong international contingent also dominates the Cox Plate first acceptances with 11 raiders including three Cox Plate invitees led by last year’s third-placegetter Highland Reel prepared by Aidan O’Brien.

“Three Cox Plate international invitees in Highland Reel, Tryster and Vadamos feature among the first acceptors for The Valley’s weight-for-age championship, which is a positive sign towards their participation in the race,” RV Executive General Manager of Racing Greg Carpenter said on Tuesday.

O’Brien won the Cox Plate two years back with Adelaide (2014), the Irish horseman in with seven hopes this spring as well as nine stayers among the 2016 Caulfield Cup first acceptances.

Highland Reel is rated a $17 chance in futures Cox Plate odds equal with co-Caulfield Cup favourite The United States for owner Lloyd Williams and the Darren Weir-trained Japanese import Tosen Stardom.

The other best fancied in betting is Godolphin galloper Hartnell ($13), the John O’Shea-trained Authorized six-year-old last seen winning the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) in Sydney by a runaway 7.8 lengths.

Other top Australian-trained entries include Weir’s Memsie Stakes winner Black Heart Bart who is favourite for this weekend’s Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), the Kris Lees-trained multiple Group 1 winning mare Lucia Valentina and Awesome Rock who secured the golden ticket into the race with a win in last Saturday’s Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m).

Among the most notable Cox Plate omissions at first acceptance stage were: the O’Brien-trained Irish galloper Deauville, British raider Mutakayyef and the Ciaron Maher-trained Azkadellia.

The next stage of Cox Plate declarations are second acceptances closing on October 4.

Before then make sure you back your favourites at the right price through Ladbrokes.com.au at their generous all-in odds!

2016 Cox Plate First Acceptances

Moonee Valley Race 8 – 22/10/2016