Flemington firms as 2026 Cox Plate destination with Moonee Valley Racing Club to consider recommendation

This masthead has established the MVRC hierarchy could meet as early as Wednesday to consider a recommendation to run Australia’s best race at Flemington on October 24, 2026.

MVRC chief executive Michael Browell has worked closely with corporate partners and the Victoria Racing Club to broker a historic race meeting transfer, in line with relevant commercial agreements.

The Racing Victoria board must ultimately endorse the MVRC recommendation for Flemington to be officially unveiled as host of the $6m Cox Plate.

The RV board is scheduled to meet next week to ratify the Cox Plate recommendation.

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The Valley will be closed after the Cox Plate this year to undergo a full racecourse redevelopment.

The Cox Plate is slated to return to The Valley from 2027.

The VRC, Melbourne Racing Club and Southside all entered the 2026 Cox Plate sweepstakes.

The metropolitan clubs all pitched enticing Cox Plate proposals, however Flemington has long been the industry preferred choice based on metrics including wagering and attendance potential.

Commercial in confidence negotiations included economics of a transferred Cox Plate, splits of costs and revenue, along with existing sponsorship agreements.

Ladbrokes, subsidiary of global wagering giant Entain, is naming rights sponsor of The Valley and Cox Plate whereas Flemington has enjoyed a long partnership with Tabcorp.

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RV deferred Cox Plate decision talks in June as The Valley and Flemington administrations ensured respective commercial arrangements with corporate clients were satisfied.

The MVRC recommendation, once approved, sets up a bumper Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup Carnival double-header at Flemington next year.

The VRC has aspirations to host a 60,000-strong crowd for an iconic Cox Plate at Flemington.

The Melbourne Spring Carnival overall enjoyed a renaissance last year, with big crowds and wagering across feature race dates at Caulfield, The Valley and Flemington.

The Melbourne Cup Carnival – the four biggest days in Australian racing – attracted more than 285,000 patrons to Flemington last year – the biggest crowd since 2018.

Browell was contacted for comment on Monday.

Originally published as Flemington firms as 2026 Cox Plate destination with Moonee Valley Racing Club to consider recommendation