Moonee Valley Racecourse is situated in Moonee Ponds, approximately four miles from the centre of Melbourne in the state of Victoria, southeastern Australia. The racecourse was established, as a private speculation, by William Samuel Cox in 1883 and, despite a difficult history, which has seen it resist the advances of property developers on more than one occasion, remains a world-class racing facility. Moonee Valley Racecourse is probably best known for the Cox Plate, the premier weight-for-age race in Australia and one of the highlights of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
Course Characteristics
Moonee Valley Racecourse has the distinction of being the only one in Australia to race on StrathAyr turf, which consists of grass on a reinforced sand base. The tight, left-handed turning course is 1,805 metres, or nine furlongs, in circumference, with 7.5ยบ banked bends and a very short home straight, just 173 metres, or 189 yards, long. The course rises significantly throughout the last half mile but, even so, horses that like to race on, or close to, the pace have a distinct advantage. Sprint races are run around one or two sharp bends, so there is a definite bias towards horses drawn on the inside.
Track Facts
The W.S. Cox Plate, named in memory of the racecourse founder, is run over 2,040 metres, or just over a mile and a quarter, in October each year.
Six horses have achieved the Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup double in the same season, the most recent being Makybe Diva in 2005.
Rising Fast, in 1954, is the only horse in history to have completed the Caulfield Cup-Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup treble in the same season.