To celebrate the 100th running of the Cox Plate, the specially made gold trophy will be taken on a tour to New Zealand.

The Cox Plate and New Zealand have a rich history with champions like Bonecrusher and Sunline winning Australasia's weight-for-age championship at The Valley.

The tour kicks off at the Auckland Cup meeting at Ellerslie on Saturday and winds up on March 14.

Four-time winning jockey Brent Thomson (Fury's Order 1975, Family Of Man 1977, So Called 1978 and Dulcify 1979) will be part of the tour along with riders Noel Harris (Our Poetic Prince 1988), Lance O'Sullivan (Surfers Paradise 1991) and Greg Childs (Sunline 1999 and 2000).

The tour will take in many parts of New Zealand including Sunline Lodge, named after the dual winner, and Waikato Stud where Savabeel and Ocean Park stand.

The Plate will also visit Windsor Park Stud where Might And Power and So You Think were bred, Trelawny Stud, birthplace of Ocean Park and Tulloch, along with the stable of Frank Ritchie, Bonecrusher's trainer.

"The Moonee Valley Racing Club celebrates a significant milestone with Cox Plate 100 in October and we are excited to get our celebrations underway with the Cox Plate 100 trophy touring New Zealand," MVRC chairman Don Casboult said.

"Champions from New Zealand have had such a substantial impact on the W S Cox Plate with the likes of Sunline, Bonecrusher and Our Poetic Prince, so it is fitting that we kick off the tour in this beautiful part of the world."