Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Cox Plate started off with a bang in regards to being won by horses who would do well at stud - four of its first five winners being horses whose progeny would win races now classified as Group 1 contests.
The best of those was the star galloper Heroic who did a good job passing on his genes; amongst his 29 stakes winners recorded by the Australian Stud Book being two particularly outstanding gallopers - Ajax (also a winner of the Cox Plate) and Hall Mark.
A total of 40 Cox Plate winners have served mares; some very few, others afforded greater opportunities. Of those, 38 sired stakes winners and 19 have been represented by big-race winners - races considered majors either then or now.
The best of those, in order of Group 1 winners sired...
| Savabeel | 135 | 32 |
| Heroic | 29 | 14 |
| So You Think | 54 | 11 |
| Rubiton | 43 | 7 |
| Strawberry Road | 37 | 6 |
| Chatham | 16 | 6 |
| Manfred | 13 | 6 |
| Shamus Award | 23 | 5 |
| Beau Vite | 12 | 5 |
| Noholme | 37 | 4 |
| Octagonal | 25 | 4 |
| Ocean Park | 20 | 4 |
| Taj Rossi | 11 | 3 |
| The Night Patrol | 10 | 3 |
Table: Cox Plate winners with breeding-barn success
So how does the Cox Plate stack up as a stallion's race in recent times? Let's look at a 20-year comparison with other races which have well-earned reputations in regards to being won by successful stallions...
| Savabeel | 135 | 32 |
| So You Think | 54 | 11 |
| Ocean Park | 20 | 4 |
| Shamus Award | 23 | 5 |
| Adelaide | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 236 | 53 |
Table: G1 Cox Plate - five horses with runners
Other races in order by number of stakes winners sired by its winners.
| Fastnet Rock | 193 | 43 |
| Snitzel | 137 | 19 |
| Swiss Ace | 16 | 1 |
| Starspangledbanner | 35 | 6 |
| Russian Revolution | 8 | 1 |
| Total | 389 | 70 |
Table: G1 Oakleigh Plate - five horses with runners
| Stratum | 47 | 7 |
| Sebring | 82 | 8 |
| Sepoy | 22 | 2 |
| Pierro | 35 | 6 |
| Vancouver | 10 | 0 |
| Capitalist | 15 | 1 |
| Total | 211 | 24 |
Table: G1 Golden Slipper S. - six horses with runners
| Northern Meteor | 24 | 6 |
| Star Witness | 23 | 1 |
| Sepoy | 22 | 2 |
| Zoustar | 42 | 5 |
| Brazen Beau | 24 | 1 |
| Flying Artie | 8 | 1 |
| Merchant Navy | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 145 | 17 |
Table: G1 Coolmore Stud S. (first run in 2007) - seven horses with runners
| Court Command | 4 | 0 |
| Duporth | 7 | 1 |
| Denman | 18 | 1 |
| Toorak Toff | 3 | 0 |
| Epaulette | 19 | 3 |
| Zoustar | 42 | 5 |
| Hallowed Crown | 6 | 1 |
| Exosphere | 6 | 0 |
| Astern | 10 | 2 |
| Trapeze Artist | 1 | 1 |
| The Autumn Sun | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 119 | 14 |
Table: G1 Golden Rose S. - eleven horses with runners
| Econsul | 3 | 1 |
| God's Own | 8 | 0 |
| Wonderful World | 0 | 0 |
| Starspangledbanner | 35 | 6 |
| Anacheeva | 2 | 0 |
| Helmet | 18 | 1 |
| All Too Hard | 23 | 4 |
| Shooting To Win | 10 | 1 |
| Press Statement | 6 | 0 |
| Divine Prophet | 2 | 0 |
| The Autumn Sun | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 110 | 13 |
Table: G1 Caulfield Guineas - eleven horses with runners
| Undoubtedly | 0 | 0 |
| Nadeem | 21 | 1 |
| Reaan | 1 | 0 |
| Reward For Effort | 11 | 0 |
| Star Witness | 23 | 1 |
| Sepoy | 22 | 2 |
| Pride Of Dubai | 19 | 2 |
| Extreme Choice | 10 | 3 |
| Written By | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 109 | 9 |
Table: G1 Blue Diamond S. - nine horses with runners
| Reset | 36 | 5 |
| Al Maher | 38 | 5 |
| Ferlax | 3 | 0 |
| Shamus Award | 23 | 5 |
| Wandjina | 4 | 0 |
| Palentino | 0 | 0 |
| Grunt | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 105 | 16 |
Table: G1 Australian Guineas - seven horses with runners
Of course, when studying any statistics with horses the many variables have to be taken into consideration - opportunity and luck are two of those. But by any measure, the Cox Plate is holding its own in regards to stallion influence - especially when taking into account how often it is won by a mare or a gelding.
There are four entires contesting this year's Cox Plate and connections of each will be delighted to have this race on their horse's resume...
Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) is one of the 10 stakes winners for his G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile-winning sire, a son of Exceed And Excel and therefore a member of the Danehill (USA) sireline. His dam is a half-sister to the Group 3 filly Sarkiyla (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}), dam of another Group 3 winner in Saiydabad (USA) (Blame {USA}).
Gold Trip (Fr), winner of the G1 Turnbull S. two starts ago | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) is one of the eight stakes winners sired by his G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Racing Post Trophy-winning sire. His dual Group 3-winning dam Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is a half-sister to the triple Group 1 winner Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) - dam of the multiple Group 1 winners Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) with the latter being the dam of this year's G1 Epsom and G1 Irish Derby hero Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) is one of his Arrowfield Stud-based six-time Group 1-winning sire's 25 stakes winners. His dam is a daughter of Dubawi (Ire) and the Group 1 mare Satwa Queen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}) - also grandam of Yulong's triple Group 1 winner Lucky Vega (Ire).
Militarize (NZ), winner of the G1 Golden Rose two starts ago | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
King Colorado (Kingman {GB}) is one of the 74 stakes winners sired by his four-time Group 1-winning sire who stands alongside Frankel (GB) at Juddmonte's Newmarket base. His dam is the Listed winner More Aspen (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}), half-sister to the Listed winner Jade Master (USA) (Master Command {USA}). His fourth dam is one of the great matriarchs - the legendary Fall Aspen (USA) (Pretense {USA}).
The last two Cox Plate winners are at stud, Anamoe serving his first book at a fee of $121,000 (inc GST) at Darley's Hunter Valley base whilst State Of Rest (Ire) shuttles to Newgate Farm where he debuted this season at $44,000 (inc GST).
Gallery: The last two Cox Plate winners, who are both standing at stud
Adelaide (Ire), Shamus Award, So You Think (NZ) and Savabeel are all still standing and fans of breeding history will be hoping that one of those can become just the third Cox Plate winner to sire a Cox Plate winner.
Shamus Award gets his chance to do so with his triple Group 1-winning daughter Duais taking her place.
Should she salute, her sire would join Heroic (the 1926 winner who sired the 1938 winner Ajax) and Rubiton (successful in 1987, his son Fields Of Omagh saluting in 2003 and 2006) as stallions able take out this special bit of Cox Plate history.
