After months of speculation around a move of the Cox Plate, Australia’s Group 1 weight-for-age championship will remain in its traditional date, for the time being.
But Racing Victoria has announced a number of changes to the programming which will see two Group 1 races run after Champions Day at Flemington, the Thousand Guineas and Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
Joining the Cox Plate Day fixture will be the Group 1 Manikato Stakes while the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup will move to the Friday night meeting.
RV took the opportunity to review the programming post Melbourne Cup week when racing heads to the provincial scene with the Cranbourne Cup and Ballarat Cup run in the weeks immediately following.
The Cranbourne Cup moves back a week to run after the new date for the Thousand Guineas while the Ballarat Cup shifts two weeks later, following the Zipping Classic meeting at Caulfield.
Ultimately RV took the view that the Thousand Guineas is low risk financially and enhances the post Carnival program while the Cox Plate had more pros than cons to consider.
RV believed the Cox Plate would work well in a mid-late November date, however the industry faces uncertainty around future funding with the Victorian Wagering Licence expiring in August 2024.
Joining the Thousand Guineas and Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes on the Saturday after Champions Day will be a new $1 million Country Cups Final over 2000m and the Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes which moves from the middle day of the Caulfield Cup Carnival and will increase in distance to 1400m.
Andrew Jones, RV Chief Executive, said enhancing November’s schedule would grow racing’s audience.
“The new Thousand Guineas race day at Caulfield on November 18 is a fantastic addition to our spring schedule. The racing program is elite, and it improves our offering for fans and owners,” Jones said.
“The Cox Plate works brilliantly already. It would also work well as a Carnival-ending weight-for-age grand final in November.
“We will continue to innovate our schedule across the year. Our goals are always to provide more entertainment for fans and punters, and to increase returns to owners, trainers and jockeys.”