The Valley celebrates a legend in the latest Cox Plate campaign via Magnum Opus Partners

There are a few moments in sport history that are truly Legendary – and this year might just be one such moment. The Valley and Magnum Opus Partners have launched this year’s Ladbrokes Cox Plate with the theme Legendary, celebrating and focusing on the much-loved horse – Winx – that may well become cemented in history this year when it races for it’s record-equalling third W.S. Cox Plate. Not since Kingston Town has any horse completed an almost impossible to achieve treble of wins.

VIEW THE SPOT

The campaign launches with a key establishing visual that highlights the historic nature of the momentous occasion. The spot then focuses solely on Winx emerging from the blue and green smoke with the words Legendary trailing behind.

The strategy is clear – every other Spring Racing venue tends to focus on the fashion and entertainment, and whilst The Valley has plenty of that too, the Ladbrokes Cox Plate – the “best race of the Spring Carnival” – is much more about the racing itself, and this year even more so with such a potentially historic event taking place.

Says Pat Langton, creative director, MOP: “We’ve run the well-known ‘Legendary’ campaign for a few years now but this year it rings truer than ever. Focusing solely on horse racing could be seen by some as a risk but in this case we feel that this is a moment in sport history that will draw a huge crowd. There are only a few times in history a horse like this comes along, up with the likes of Kingston Town, Phar Lap and more recently Black Caviar. How many times can be say, “I saw history being made?” It’s a moment not to be missed.”

Says Daniela Cole, marketing manager: “We wanted to make this a momentous occasion and highlight a horse that is up there with the best of all time. We worked hard with Magnum Opus Partners getting the right look and feel for the 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival campaign. We think we have a TVC that looks markedly different to everyone else in town, promoting and celebrating The Valley’s unique brand as well as capturing this year’s unique attraction in Winx.”

The TV commercial launches today across the major networks and a fully-integrated campaign will also run across social media, online and outdoor billboards around Melbourne.

Client: The Valley

Production: Hase Productions