When Kiwis Rule the Valley: Bonecrusher, Sunline and the Cox Plate Legacy

Every October, as crowds gather at Moonee Valley and some of Australia’s best line up for the W. S. Cox Plate, there’s a familiar hum in New Zealand racing circles.

It’s the one that starts with, “Remember when Bonecrusher…?” and ends with goosebumps.

Because when it comes to the Cox Plate – Australia’s greatest weight-for-age contest – few nations have shaped its story quite like we have.

“A wonderful quote I heard was that a great horse won the race but a great horse lost the race as well.” -Bonecrusher’s owner Peter Mitchell on the ‘battle’ of his mighty horse vs Our Waverley Star in the 1986 Cox Plate. Bonecrusher is buried next to the Parade Ring here at Ellerslie where his statue attracts numerous visitors who are all eager to pay tribute to “Big Red”.

Bonecrusher – The Race of the Century

Two Kiwi stars – Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star – stride for stride around Moonee Valley.

The crowd is deafening, the tension impossible. Down the straight they fight, neck and neck, until Bill Collins’ famous call rings out – “Bonecrusher races into equine immortality!”

Trained by Frank Ritchie out of Auckland and strapped by son Shaune, Bonecrusher didn’t just win that day – he defined a generation. Tough, relentless, impossible to ignore. His duel remains one of racing’s most replayed moments, and every time we hear that call, we feel it all over again.

Sunline – The Queen Across the Ditch

Then came her. Sunline, the mare who didn’t just win races – she ruled them. Trained by Trevor and Stephen McKee, Sunline crossed the Tasman and conquered the Cox Plate twice – in 1999 and 2000 – leading from the jump and never looking back.

She didn’t need tactics. She had speed, stamina, and swagger. On Australian soil, she earned the title Queen of the Turf – but to Kiwis, she was still “our girl,” the home-bred who showed them what New Zealand toughness looks like.

Ocean Park and the modern Kiwi lineage

Fast-forward to 2012 and Ocean Park carried that legacy forward – another New Zealand-bred, another Moonee Valley triumph. Trained by Gary Hennessy and ridden by Glen Boss, his victory proved what our breeding industry already knew: Kiwi-bred horses don’t just belong on the world stage – they excel there.

The Originals Who Set the Standard

Long before Bonecrusher, Rising Fast swept the 1954 spring treble – the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, and Melbourne Cup – a feat not yet achieved by any other in the same season.

Nightmarch did the Cox Plate – Melbourne Cup double back in 1929 and Fury’s Order kept the Kiwi flag flying in the Cox Plate in 1975, beating Kiwi Can and Analight.

Generations may have changed, but one thing hasn’t: when the going gets tough, our horses keep finding a way.

Next time you’re at Ellerslie make sure to pay tribute to Sunline who is buried on site by this statue created by Fiona McKee, daughter-in-law of Sunline’s owner and trainer, Trevor McKee.

Racing at Home, Celebrating Abroad

While the Cox Plate runs in Melbourne, its echoes are heard loud and clear here at home. Every year, Ellerslie plays host to a day that celebrates Kiwi excellence abroad – pairing local racing with the live broadcast of the great race itself.

It’s a day for pride, for passion, and for remembering that New Zealand’s best have always had the heart to win on the world’s biggest stages.

So as the field rounds the Valley bend as we know it for the last time this year and the tension builds, don’t be surprised if you find yourself whispering an old line under your breath – “Go the Kiwis” for those bred on our soil who are taking on the 2025 edition of the W. S. Cox Plate.