Cox Plate staying put

NOVEMBER SWITCH NOT ON FOR 2023

THE prospect of the Cox Plate moving later into the spring will not happen – at least not this year.

It is understood the impediments to changing the weightfor-age championship are simply too great at this point in time.

Apart from the major rescheduling involved, effectively moving the majority of the spring carnival back three weeks and reshuffling the placement of a few “secondary” major races, there are simply too many moving pieces involved in the spring carnival puzzle.

However, there still remains a chance a move will happen in the future.

It has been well documented that Racing Victoria has been working on what a major push into November might look like – with the Cox Plate the linchpin to the whole scenario.

However, the organisation needs to get its stakeholders on board, and of these there are many, including the race clubs – Moonee Valley, Victoria Racing Club, Melbourne Racing Club, Cranbourne, Ballarat and others.

All would be significantly impacted by such a huge change to the spring schedule.

The Victorian 2023/24 racing calendar will be released in April or May.

It is understood there is too much to be done – and too many to satisfy – in such a short space of time.

And that is not taking into account what the interstate carnivals will look like.

Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones concedes there are obstacles but also stands firm in his belief the spring should extend further into November.

“Our goal is to grow the audience for racing and we see an opportunity to do so by owning all of November,” he said.

“The question is what is the best way to do it? The Cox Plate is only one option being considered.

“The Melbourne Cup carnival is one of Australia’s greatest events, hence a hard act to follow.

“One way of doing so is via a genuine grand final – in this case Australia’s best race and the weight-for-age Championship of Australasia.

“If we moved the Cox Plate we are comfortable the racing patterns would work well through the spring and then again into the autumn.

“That said it (the Cox Plate move) is only one of the options being considered. We may well leave as is, make a less radical move in 2023 or wait until 2024.

“There are numerous factors to consider including the views of a range of stakeholders plus uncertainty around the Victorian wagering licence, which expires in August 2024.”

Discussions are continuing, however, it would appear all parties are a long way off delivering a November Cox Plate in 2023.