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Produced and published by the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
Published July 2008
Published July 2008
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Situated 6 km north of Melbourne, Moonee Valley opened on 15 September 1883. Its owner, W.S. (Sam) Cox, had begun a proprietary racecourse near Kensington railway station in 1874, before moving to Elsternwick and Brighton in 1882, then taking a lease, and later buying, Feehan's farm for Moonee Valley. The Moonee Valley Racing Club, formed as a non-proprietary body under pressure from the government and the Victoria Racing Club in 1917, completed the purchase of the property in 1935. The venue was extensively refurbished after the introduction of harness racing in 1976. Thoroughbred racing under lights began in 1997. Sam Cox, who died in 1895, is remembered in the W.S. Cox Plate, a weight-for-age race run since 1922 between the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. Among the winners have been Phar Lap, Tulloch, Kingston Town (three consecutive victories), Octagonal, Might and Power and Sunline. In 1999 the Cox Plate became part of World Series Horseracing.