The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late October.

Many horses have won the race twice, including Phar Lap, Flight, Tobin Bronze, Sunline, Northerly, Fields of Omagh, and So You Think.

[citation needed] The double with the Melbourne Cup has only been achieved by seven horses: Makybe Diva, Might and Power, Saintly, Nightmarch, Phar Lap, Delta and Rising Fast.

Only three horses have ever won the Melbourne Cup and then gone on to win the Cox Plate the following year: Phar Lap, Might and Power and Makybe Diva.

The 1969 Cox Plate was won by the New Zealand three-year-old colt Daryl's Joy, who went on to race successfully in the USA.

The 1986 Cox Plate was a two-horse war over the final 800 metres before Bonecrusher triumphed over Our Waverley Star by a neck.

The eight-year-old Super Impose won in 1992 and defeated a top-class field which included Better Loosen Up, Let's Elope and favourite Naturalism, who lost his rider.

In 2005, Makybe Diva triumphed and became one of the most popular horses in Australian racing history with an unprecedented third Melbourne Cup win 10 days later.

In 2007, El Segundo won the Cox Plate, avenging his close defeat to Fields of Omagh the year before.

In 2013, Shamus Award recorded his first career win in the Cox Plate, a unique achievement for a WFA race of such high standing.

She returned in 2016 when the race boasted a stellar field including the high class Godolphin star Hartnell.

In 2017, the champion mare started the Cox Plate as the shortest priced favourite since Phar Lap at $1.10 aiming for her 22nd successive win.

After receiving a scare down the straight in the final 200m from Humidor, Winx pulled off an incredible victory to join Kingston Town in becoming just the second triple winner of the title.