A staggering 51,662 people headed trackside over the two-day Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival, a rise of 7,145 (16%) over last year’s record of 44,517.

The demand for tickets and interest in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate saw tickets sold-out in advance, with 38,035 enjoying every moment of the history-making day at The Valley as they witnessed Winx win her fourth successive WS Cox Plate.

“This was a seminal moment in Australian sporting history and she quite rightly stands alone as the greatest we have ever seen,” said Don Casboult, chairman of the Moonee Valley Racing Club.

“The build-up to this day has been unbelievable and for it to deliver like it did, it was something we will reflect upon for the rest of our lives.

“Winx, Chris Waller and Hugh Bowman have now achieved something that may never be done again and for that they should be congratulated.”

The commercial results achieved over the Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival were extraordinary, with an increase (+29%) on corporate, marquee and enclosure bookings across the two-day Carnival, with many of these packages sold out months in advance.

MVRC saw a huge increase (+79%) on the same bookings (corporate, marquee and enclosures) for Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Night, while the dining result of +1.5% across the Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival is only minimal due to the event dining footprint being near capacity most years.

Wagering results also provided some amazing results over the Carnival with a record $159M (+15.8%) wagered over the two days, with a record $115M (+15.4%) on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day and another record of $44M (+17%) on Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Night.

Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Night was the highest wagering turnover in Australian night racing history, eclipsing Moir Stakes night on September 28 this year.

In comparison to last year, there was an increase of starters from 90 to 108 and increase in prizemoney from $4.7M to $7.1M on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day.

Wagering turnover from Hong Kong on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day was $23.4M, creating a total record for wagering of $182.4M over the two days.

A record crowd for Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Night of 13,627 was achieved on the Friday night, which was 15% up on the previous record for this meeting of 11,805, set in 2017.

The inaugural Catanach’s Brent Thomson Jockey Challenge went down to the wire and ended in a three-way tie between Hugh Bowman, John Allen and Mark Zahra.

On countback, Bowman and Allen couldn’t be split and therefore tied for first place, sharing the $10,000 Catanach’s voucher prize and each receiving a silver-plated whip valued at $2000.

Don Casboult said: “Our two-day Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival, now in its seventh year, has been a tremendous success on every level and we are thrilled that we have been able to achieve what we did.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the MVRC team to be able to produce on the biggest stage, with the eyes of the world on The Valley.

“The Winx story has now entered sporting folklore and while this may be the last time we see her at The Valley, her legacy will live on forever and be talked about for generations to come.”