5 MOONEE VALLEY RACING CLUB 4 CAPTIVATING RACING IMAGE CHAIRMAN’S Welcome This particular issue of On Track carries extra significance for the Club as we approach the Centenary running of our signature race, the W.S. Cox Plate. We reflect on 100 wonderful years of stories and legends that have graced the hallowed turf of The Valley ever since Violoncello won the very first W.S. Cox Plate in 1922. Legends such as Phar Lap, Tulloch, Kingston Town, Bonecrusher, Sunline, So You Think and of course Winx have all celebrated their greatest successes here at The Valley. And then there are those personal memories of the W.S. Cox Plate – those moments frozen in time that to this day still evoke strong emotions and provide fertile territory for some brilliant storytelling. We have gathered up some fascinating recollections from MVRC’s first female Committee Member in 1997 and Life member in 2013 Kerry Gillespie, racing journalists Michael Manley and Bruce Clark, and our very own racing analyst and media executive Ben Caluzzi. There is also a feature on our new Ladbrokes Cox Plate Ambassador, Lizzie Jelfs, and highlights from our Centenary of Legendary podcast series featuring Matt Hill, Ricky Ponting and Glen Boss among many others. We also showcase the amazing work of our Cox Plate Carnival Charity Pin partner, Make-A-Wish Australia with a heart-warming story of one of their wish children, Bridgette. The Redevelopment project continues to progress, and we recently celebrated an important milestone as we welcomed in the first residents to Feehan Row. The Club is currently a hive of activity as we prepare The Valley for what will be the highlight of the Spring Carnival as all eyes fall on our signature race. With general admission tickets sold out and nearly every hospitality seat taken, it will doubtless be a fitting spectacle to bookend 100 years. So, who will be crowned the next Legend of the $5m Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate? Following the mini-Cox Plate running of the Might and Power at Caulfield on Saturday 8 October, has the dress rehearsal for the main event on Saturday 22 October already given us the winner? Of the main contenders, Anamoe and Zaaki look to be peaking just in time for redemption following their respective misfortunes or bad luck last year, and I’m Thunderstruck will be looking to beat his two archrivals this time around. Whatever is to unfold, the Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival will be a celebration of the ages as we get back to The Valley doing what we love most. I thank our members for your support and wish you a memorable Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival. Don Casboult Chairman
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