The Cox family was associated with the administration of racing in Australia for close to 120 years.

William Samuel Cox (1831-95) opened his first venture, Kensington Park Racecourse, in 1874, and it operated with considerable success until 1882. Cox took pains to ensure that the racing was honest and to offer sufficient prizemoney to attract a good class of horse. He also had a flair for timing, and he secured an October meeting on the Saturday before the VRC Derby, which remains today as the meeting at which the Cox Plate and Moonee Valley Cup are run.

Looking for a larger property Cox bought land at nearby Moonee Valley, and opened his new racecourse there in 1883. When Samuel Cox died in 1895, his son A.H. Cox, one of the first VRC stipendiary stewards and an acknowledged expert on racing, took over as Secretary of the private Moonee Valley Racing Club. Another of Samuel Cox's sons, W.S. Cox Junior, was a successful amateur jockey and trainer. He rode the great jumper, Redleap, in many of his wins and trained Realm to win the 1893 Sydney Cup.

A.H. Cox was succeeded as Secretary by his brother-in-law A.V.Hiskens, during whose term in office (1929) the Club was bought from the Cox family. In 1935, Hiskens was succeeded as MVRC Secretary by William Stanley (‘Bill') Cox, grandson of the founder. In 1966, his son W.M. (‘Murray') Cox was appointed Secretary. Three years later Murray Cox left Moonee Valley to take up the position of Secretary of the VRC, where he remained until his retirement in 1986, bringing to an end an era of racing administration by the family.

The Cox family was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

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