William Samuel (W.S.) Cox (1831–1895) was a pioneer of

Thoroughbred racing in Australia Thoroughbred horse racing is a spectator sport in Australia, and gambling on horse races is a very popular pastime with A$14.3 billion wagered in 2009/10 with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). The two forms of Thoroughbred horse r ...

. He opened his first venture, Kensington Park Racecourse, in 1874, which operated until 1882. He founded the

Moonee Valley Racing Club The Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) was founded by William Samuel (W.S.) Cox), in 1883 is located at The Valley Racecourse on McPherson Street, Moonee Ponds (a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). It is one of three racing clubs in the Mel ...

in 1883, on land he leased the previous year. The

Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racin ...

, a prestigious

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport. * Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...

horse racing event, that has been held annually at the

Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse, currently marketed as The Valley, is a horse-racing track in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. History Moonee Valley Racecourse was established in 1883 by William Samuel (W.S.) Cox, who purchased a far ...

, Melbourne in October since 1922, is named after him. Other members of Cox's family to contribute to Australian racing include his sons A. H. (Archie) Cox, who became club secretary; and W. S. Cox, Jr., a successful amateur jockey and trainer; the latter's son William Stanley Cox; and his son, William Murray Cox. The family, who have been involved in the administration of racing for nearly 120 years, were collectively inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame ''en bloc'' in 2006.

References

1831 births 1895 deaths Sportspeople from Melbourne Horse racing in Australia Australian Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from the Colony of Victoria {{Australia-horseracing-bio-stub