Tatts Cox Plate

I loved the Cox Plate… don’t get me wrong. As with most Spring Racing Carnival racecourses, Moonee Valley is beyond amazing. Stables, a massive grandstand, rose gardens and pavilions, hedges shaped into horses and jockeys, it truly is a beautiful place.
The buzz and atmosphere on the day was electrifying. As one of the biggest race days of the calendar year and a lead up day to the ‘race that stops a nation’, the Cox Plate is attended by approximately 35 000 people. And all those 35 000 peeps wanna do is dress up, mess up and get messed up. Oh yeah, and look at and bet on horses!
I was so impressed that with a general entry ticket we could get up close and personal to the stables, watch the horses get prepped before the race and stand right next to them as they were paraded on to the track. I spent a good hour and a half in this section alone, marveling at these majestic creatures and taken in by the amount of people and work that was taking place behind the scene’s.
It took a further 45 minutes to find the track, the grounds are just that HUGE! By the time we did though it was a major disappointment. Even when we stood right at the fence, and even when my husband hoisted me on to his shoulders I could only just see the horses gallop past me. I swear though, the adrenalin that rushed through my body at the thunderous thudding of the horses as they raced around the track, 30 000 people screaming (the other 5000 were at the bar, still placing bets for the next race or in the toilet). But for $ 55, I don’t care if its general admission, when you go to the races you go to watch. At least one anyway.
Don’t get me wrong it was an amazing, awesome day and I had a blast. There was an awesome band, lots of food and drinks, places to bet, toilets, security and other amusements to keep me plenty entertained. And there was a massive screen in the square where we watched Black Caviar make history on her 15^th straight win.
But I just really, really wanted to watch in the flesh. So I’ve decided I’ll definitely be back to Moonee Valley, but next time I’ll go to a much smaller race meet so I get good viewing.