Moonee Valley Racing Club has announced a major partnership with corporate bookmaker Ladbrokes as the new naming rights sponsor of its signature race, the Cox Plate.
The eight-year deal begins from August 1 with Ladbrokes to have naming rights to the Cox Plate Carnival, the Group One Cox Plate and Group One Manikato Stakes.
The deal also includes naming rights to Friday night racing at Moonee Valley which will be known as Ladbrokes Friday Night Lights while the company will also sponsor the 55 Second Challenge 955m races at the night meetings.
“This partnership with Ladbrokes is the largest commercial deal that the Moonee Valley Racing Club has entered into,” MVRC chairman Don Casboult said.
Generally accepted as the world’s oldest bookmaking firm, Ladbrokes has been in operation in since 1886 but only began in Australia in 2013.
This year’s Cox Plate in October will be the 97th running with the club preparing for No.100 in 2020 after which major work at the track begins.
Champion mare Winx has won the past two, including her record eight length win last October and will shoot for a record-equalling third win this year.
Only Kingston Town (1980-81-82) has achieved that feat.
Winx’s jockey Hugh Bowman was back at Moonee Valley on Friday, at the announcement, for the first time since the 2016 Cox Plate.
“Hopefully we can come back here in October and she can race at the same level that we’ve seen her do so over the past couple of years,” Bowman said.
