Racing: Ireland takes Cox

Ryan Moore riding Adelaide leads the field across the line in the WS Cox Plate yesterday. Photo / Getty

Irish galloper Adelaide has ensured another triumph for international horses during the Melbourne Spring Carnival with a stirring win in the WS Cox Plate.

A week after Admire Rakti's Caulfield Cup triumph for Japan, Adelaide came from last to beat Australia's weight-for-age stars at Moonee Valley yesterday.

Trained by the Irish maestro Aidan O'Brien and ridden by English hoop Ryan Moore, Adelaide had to produce a 1000m run to chase down 2013 Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner.

"He is a very good horse because he has done it the hard way," Moore said. "From what I have seen of the Plate it's tricky, but usually the best horse wins, and the best horse sometimes has to do it a bit tougher.

"Things were against him but he got the job done.

"This horse has shown what a good colt he is, he's been around the world all year and has come down to Australia to round it off."

Adelaide started at $8 and came into the race quickly from the 600m.

He was the deepest horse into the straight before getting the better of the favourite Fawkner ($4.40) by a short neck.

New Zealand mare Silent Achiever ($26) returned to form and was half a head away third.

The race was run at a ferocious tempo after it took expected leader The Cleaner 800m to find his favoured front-running role.

The Cleaner tried to extend his margin at the 800m but he was swamped before the home turn as Adelaide went within two-tenths of a second of the race record.

- AAP