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Racing fans are gearing up for a unique 106th edition of the country’s premier weight-for-age event with the ‘Race Where Legends are Made’ to be held at Flemington for the first time in history, and here the form analysts at Races.com.au have our expert 2026 Cox Plate tips, best bets and betting predictions for the $6 million classic.
The weekend’s best racing takes place in Melbourne on Saturday with a stacked Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day card headlined by another elite edition of the 2040m Group 1 which drew a typically star-studded field of middle-distance heroes.
Twelve of the best make up the 2026 Cox Plate field looking to add their name to the list of greats to have won this iconic event from Phar Lap and Rising Fast to the mighty Sunline, four-time champion Winx and Japan’s Lys Gracieux.
Punters are faced with a wide-open Cox Plate betting market this season with trio of runners battling for top spot at race sponsor Ladbrokes.
Longtime favourite, Sir Delius, has regained his position as the punters’ pick currently paying $4.20 to salute for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott from an ideal gate five draw which produced last year’s winner Via Sistina for her successful title defence.
Young gun Warwoven briefly trumped him but has eased back out to the second line of betting with the Bjorn Baker-trained Caulfield Guineas winning three-year-old remaining the key danger at $4.60 looking to beat home his older rivals on the postage-stamp weight and extend his picket fence to four on the trot.
Chris Waller meanwhile is out to add to his Cox Plate legacy saddling-up livewire hope Aeliana at $4.60 with the multiple Group 1 winning mare having long had her sights sets on big prize at HQ.
With so many genuine contenders and value galore further down the odds thanks to a line-up of proven WFA heavyweights, Group 1 headliners and forgotten fancies, the 2026 Ladbrokes Cox Plate shapes up as one of the most competitive and intriguing editions in recent memory when it runs as Flemington Race 8 at 5:10pm (AEDT) as the penultimate event on Cox Plate Day.
Ladbrokes Cox Plate 2026 Best Bets
Who will win the Cox Plate in 2026? The Races.com.au team’s best betting plays can be found below.
Favourite: No. 3 Sir Delius
SIR DELIUS (5) has been a longtime favourite to win the Cox Plate in 2026 for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott and, after connections grabbed the gun barrier five draw, he remains top of the markets to get back in winning form third-up and fit in his target race.
He’s been trained to peak on Cox Plate Day, and everything looks in place for the favourite to simply come out and win.
The lightly-raced six-year-old lines up for just his 16th career start chasing win number eight, with veteran hoop Craig Williams retaining the ride.
His Australian résumé already reads brilliantly, highlighted by three Group 1 victories including that famous Queen Elizabeth triumph at Randwick where he handed Autumn Glow her only defeat to date.
His two lead-up runs this spring have been exactly what you’d want to see. He wasn’t far away when fourth behind the classy Sheza Alibi in the Makybe Diva first-up before another encouraging fourth in the Turnbull Stakes on a Heavy Flemington track. Both runs suggested he’s right on target for his grand final.
The barrier only adds to the confidence. Gate five should allow Williams to park in the perfect stalking position, conserving energy before unleashing when it matters.
Most importantly, his third-up profile is outstanding. He’s unbeaten third-up and his Queen Elizabeth victory last autumn produced a rating that arguably stands above anything else in this year’s field.
Back onto dry ground, up to his pet trip, with a genuine tempo anticipated and a dream run in transit expected, he ticks all the boxes.
Two quiet lead-ups, a perfect draw, proven Cox Plate credentials and a set-up tailor-made for success. If Sir Delius reproduces his Queen Elizabeth peak, he’ll be winning.
| 3. Sir Delius (5) J: Craig Williams 59kg 31×44 T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | |||
| Third-up today and won third-up in the past. First-up 4th of 10 in the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes at this track on September 12 over 1600m, 4 len behind Sheza Alibi with 59kg at $5. Second run from a spell 4th of 13 in the G1 Turnbull Stakes at this track on October 3 over 2000m, on a wet track; 3.5 len behind Cosmic Crusader with 59kg at $3. Been set for this, set up is perfect, best horse in the race if he brings it. | |||
Each Way Danger: No. 11 Warwoven
A youngster on the rise coming off an incredible campaign capable of giving the favourite a real scare is WARWOVEN (2).
The Bjorn Baker-trained Sword Of State colt arrives as the form three-year-old of the spring, and there’s plenty of racetrack whispers suggesting it could by the 3YO’s year this year.
Having stamped himself as a genuine star with dominant victories in both the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas, Warwoven now chases his fourth win on the trot and will be airborne in on just 49.5kg at WFA.
His Caulfield Guineas win was steallar. Sent out favourite, he settled off the speed before exploding clear to score by 1.75 lengths, backing up a three-length demolition job in the Golden Rose at his start prior. That’s elite form whichever way you look at it.
The draw also looks bang on for this up-and-comer who could prove to be something really special by Saturday evening. Gate two gives Rachel King every chance to enjoy a dream run, settling just behind the speed and waiting for his shot at them in the straight.
Unlike many three-year-olds thrown into a Cox Plate, this colt isn’t coming here on hype alone. He’s arriving off two genuine Group 1 wins and carrying the profile of a horse with a very high ceiling.
There’s no denying this is the acid test. Taking on seasoned weight-for-age stars at 2040m is a completely different challenge to a Guineas, but history has shown exceptional types his age can measure up, and Warwoven looks one of them. His form is impossible to fault, he gets in with the luxury of the age allowance, maps perfectly and strikes ideal ground conditions.
Dual Group 1 winner, ideal draw, light weight and still untapped? If the favourite slips up, he’s the one I want to be on each way.
Best Roughie: No. 6 Birdman
Don’t let the double-figure quote fool you. BIRDMAN (6) is right in this Cox Plate and looks the forgotten horse in the market for mine.
The Chris Waller-trained son of Free Eagle has put together an excellent spring campaign and arguably has the form to be much shorter than his current odds suggest. After resuming with a respectable midfield finish in the Memsie Stakes over an unsuitable 1400m, he exploded two starts back when producing a dominant performance to win the Group 1 Underwood Stakes, putting 1.75 lengths on Cosmic Crusader and announcing himself as a genuine Cox Plate chance.
His latest run was better than it reads on paper. He finished third in the Might And Power, beaten just 1.4 lengths by surprise winner Land Legend, sticking on strongly in a race that may prove a key form reference for this year’s Plate.
Then came the barrier draw.
Birdman couldn’t have asked for better than gate one, landing the coveted inside draw that should allow Ben Melham to save every inch of ground and stalk the speed from a perfect position. If the expected tempo unfolds up front, the Waller runner gets the ideal economical run while others are forced to work around him.
The standout piece of form remains that Underwood victory. If he reproduces that performance, he’s right in the finish. His spring form is consistently strong, he maps beautifully from the inside alley, gets the right jockey aboard, and still has upside heading into grand final day.
At the price, he shapes as the race’s best value play.
A dominant Group 1 winner, perfectly drawn and largely overlooked by the market. Birdman only needs to return to his Underwood peak to make a mockery of his odds and give punters a serious sight in the exotics.
2026 Cox Plate Same Race Multi Selections
$18 (at time of publish) through Ladbrokes
- Top 2 – No. 3 Sir Delius
- Top 3 – No. 11 Warwoven
- Top 4 – No. 6 Birdman
