Cox Plate 2018 Winx: start time, form, field tips, odds, ultimate guide

Winx the Incredible is the most famous horse in Australia. She has an Irish dad and a Kiwi mum. Winx is as Australian as they come. This Saturday she is going to compete in the W.S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.

Winx has won the Cox Plate four years in a row. She is in the top 10 of prizemoney earners worldwide of all time. Winx is behind only Kincsem, a freakish Hungarian mare of the 1870s. WinX has also won a world record 21 Group 1s, five more than second-best John Henry. Cox Plates are extremely hard things to win. There was one hat-trick in 95 years. This Saturday Win x will attempt her second. The start time is at 7.30pm. For the latest betting odds visit SportsBET.COM.AU.

The Cox Plate is a weight-for-age event for three-year-olds and up. It's held at Moonee Valley, a small rectangular course in Melbourne's inner north. Winx likes the Valley's friendly, spongy surface and cambered turns. The field usually starts from the top of the straight and it's a jostle for positions before the first tight turn after 200m. In 2016, WinX scared the opposition away and only 10 started. Last year, only eight rivals turned up, this year it was seven. The Valley is 1800m in circumference, whereas Flemington is 2400m around and has a long straight of 420m, so some horses don't like it.

The prize money for the Cox Plate has been increased to $5 million this year. The winner will take home $3 million. Second prize is $750,000, and there's a $75,00 reward for finishing last.

Cox Plate 2018 Winx starts at 5 pm on Saturday.

Cox Plate 2018 Winx starts at 7.30pm. You can watch it on Racing.com, Sky Racing or Channel 7, tune into the radio or follow live on foxsports.

Cox Plate 2018 Winx starts at 7.30 pm. A sell-out crowd of 32,000 will pack the Valley to cheer for one horse.

Winx is the defending champion of the Cox Plate. Benbatl is a stallion sent by Sheikh Mohammed to try to topple her. Chris Waller is adamant Winx, now a seven-year-old, is going as well as ever. The field is small, with only eight horses. WinX has drawn barrier six. The Weir-trained Humidor is back this year. There are also dark horses in Aidan O’Brien's young stallions Rostropovich and Avilius. They are trained by James “Grandson of Bart” Cummings. He will add blinkers to the gelding this Saturday.

AQUIS FARM FILLIES CLASSIC is a juicy race for smart three-year-old fillies. The top five jousting for favouritism are El Dorado Dreaming, Fundamentalist, Mystic Journey, Krone and Anjana. There is also a Schweppes CRYSTAL MILE, Big Duke and Nakeeta, The Taj Mahal, Godolphin horse Prize Money, Randwick Metropolitan winner Patrick Erin and Who Shot Thebarman.

Babul is a Godolphin star who won the Caulfield Stakes. He has won three Group 1 races in his last five starts. Barrier 3 has hatched two of the past five winners.

Himself came within a long way of wrecking Winx's party at the Cox Plate last year. He's going well lately with thirds at his past two starts. Humidity is coming home and is a potential spoiler for WinX again.

KINGS WILL DREAM is a good bet for the Cox Plate. KINGS WIll Dream finished sixth in the Caulfield Cup last Saturday.

AVILIUS (1) is a Godolphin horse that has won all four starts since his transfer from France. He's a favourite for the Melbourne Cup.

D'Argento is from Chris Waller's stable. Wallers has won the last three races with a certain mare. D'Agarento has quality but not as much as his stablemate.

Winx is the best horse in the world. She has gate six, the most successful modern barrier in this race. Winx has won the race five of the past 35 times.

7. Rostroopovich is a possible race leader for trainer Aidan O'Brien. O’Brien used one of the world's top jockeys in Ryan Moore to win the Adelaide Stakes in 2014. The stallion Rostroppovch won his last start, a Group 3 in Ireland, but he hasn't won a group 1 before.

SAVVY COUP is a quality New Zealand mare who's won six of 16 starts. She won a Group 1 at Hastings last start. Winx shares this field’s lowest rating of 113 with Rostropovich.

Cox Plate 2018 Winx starts at 7pm. Trevor Marshallsea is the author of the best-selling WinX biography.