Racing Australia has never been more excited. Its a race to end all races, with Winx attempting her fourth Cox Plate in as many years. The tension can be cut with a knife and if you could you would be in the stands cheering her on.
Winx takes on seven equally matched top performers as she attempts to make history by becoming the the first horse to win four Cox Plates and that too consecutively. Or do we get to witness an upset of unprecedented size, when one of her six rivals beat home the champion.
We have crystalised the facts and analysed the field:
Benbatl: Godolphin's Benbatl can win and he can do it with panache. We all witnessed his ability in his Stakes victory a fortnight ago. And he is still improving. This track and the weather conditions should help him make that performance even better.
Humidor: This field wouldn't have been complete with out Humidor. He was a serious challenger to Winx in the Cox Plate 12 months ago. She almost lost and her connections almost considered retiring her. But here were are again, a year later in the ultimate face-off. But is he capable of the same high-rated performance?
Kings Will Dream: The Caulfield Cup was never his cup of tea. It was slow paced and rather tedious making it tough for the boy to finish any closer than he did. This face-paced battle is more his style and should suit him. But will he beat the great Winx? Is he that good is the question on everyones minds.
Avilius: The French raider comes to the Cox Plate with four straight winx and a 'can do' attitude of his owner himself (HH Shiekh Mohammed Al Maktoum). He's poised to be part of the Melbourne Cup field and winning it. He will eventually be able to measure up at Group 1 level over 2000 metres.
D’argento: Chris Waller's charge was a bit disappointing in the Stakes a fortnight ago but he was only narrowly denied in the Epsom Handicap. He has every possibility of making the best of a world class opportunity.
Winx: Can we actually say more about her? She won the Turnbull Stakes in the worst possible circumstances with her famous 'freakish sectionals'. She's got this.
Rostropovich: This boy is very good at over 2400m, perhaps this is a bit short for him. He was second behind Latrobe in the Irish Derby, but he was completely disappointing in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Can he do this?
Savvy Coup: This girl has the charms and the ability. She is one of the besk horses in New Zealand at the moment and her win in the Livamol Classic at Hastings last start was very impressive. This is still a massive step-up in class and she would likely need to produce a career best performance just to finish in the placings.
Click here to watch Gr.1 Cox Plate Race 2017
Cox Plate 2017 Winner: Winx
1st Winx (C. Waller,H. Bowman), 2nd Humidor (D. Weir,B. Shinn), 3rd Folkswood (C. Appleby,K. McEvoy), 4th Royal Symphony (T. McEvoy,D. Yendall), 5th Gailo Chop (D. Weir,M. Zahra), 6th Happy Clapper (P. Webster,D. Oliver ), 7th Seaburge (D. Dabernig,R. Bayliss), 8th Hardham (D. Brideoake,L. Nolen)
1.Benbatl (T: Saeed Bin Suroor J: Oisin Murphy), 2.Humidor (T: Darren Weir J: Damian Lane ), 3.Kings Will Dream (T: Darren Weir J: John Allen), 4.Avilius (T: James Cummings J: Glyn Schofield), 5.D'argento (T: Chris Waller J: Kerrin McEvoy), 6.Winx (T: Chris Waller J: Hugh Bowman), 7.Rostropovich (T: Aidan O'Brien J: Ryan Moore), 8.Savvy Coup (T: Michael Pitman J: Chris Johnson )
Distance:2,040 metres, Surface:Turf, Track:Left-handed, Qualification:Horses three years old and older,Weight:Weight for age, Purse:A$5,000,000 (2018), Bonuses:Winner ballot exemption from the Melbourne Cup
Credit: Ritesh Jamkhedkar ritesh.jamkhedkar@secretariatsworld.com