Cox Plate wrap up

[Dr Alf Andrews]

That was the most exciting Cox Plate for 15 years ... and probably the greatest field to ever line up in Australia's greatest race.

My thoughts on the main players.

NORTHERLEY : an amazing horse. He looked gone at the 400m. But when he grabbed the bit again about 250 metres out he unleashed a paralysing sprint that will be forever etched in Australian turf history.

SUNLINE : a gallant run by the greatest race mare of all time. On the home turn, with Silvano well beaten, and Northerley hard ridden, she looked set for the hat trick. No excuses today, however. The race was run to suit her. She just met a slightly better horse on the day.

VISCOUNT : if this horse isn't a star, I'm a Carlton barracker. Great run and should have got second, IMHO.

SILVANO : yet another grossly over-rate European flop. Why do they bother sending these tenth rate hacks to this country to run in our feature races. This horse might win a mid-week Welter, as long as he doesn't get too much weight.

UNIVERSAL PRINCE : Not in the same league as the three placegetters. But race was not run to suit. Sunline had too easy a run in front. Will be a different kettle of fish in the Melbourne Cup.

GREG CHILDS : Rode the perfect race on Sunline ... but should be fined heavily for a frivolous protest. 2nd against 1st was never going to get up.

KERRIN McEVOY : Should consider a career in law when he retires from riding. He made a very strong case in the stewards' room and was easily the most articulate of the three jockeys. And a very, very gutsy ride.

DAMIEN OLIVER : Never pannicked. Knows the horse well and kept a very cool head.

FRED KERSLEY : Obviously one of the great gentlemen of racing. A master horseman in both codes of racing who thoroughly deserves his place in the sun right now.

floreat pica
**************
My Ph.D. thesis, "Football: the People's Game?" is now available for viewing and/or downloading at http://alf.magpies.net

[Pies rock]

Alf, I must say I was devastated that Sunline lost. The grand mare, the people's champion has won me so much money and given me so many good memories, it was sad to see her beaten on her favourite track. I doubt she'll go to Hong Kong now and we may have seen the last of a true champion. Sunline is the greatest mare I've ever seen, a once in a lifetime horse. Today is a sad day...

I jumped on the Cox/Melbourne doubles about two months ago and put Northerly and Sunline with Universal Prince/Native Jazz/Kaapstad Way. The odds are shit now and aren't worth putting on.

[Fradam]

I must congratulate Damien Oliver for his terrible ride and ruining what was a great race by letting his mount move in. My money was on Sunlines nose and well although I'm dissapointed she lost she did it tough out in front and nearly pulled it off. She's one of the greatest. Bad luck to all of you who has money on Viscount, we don't know if he would have won coz Olliver took away any chance he had.

Fradam Wrote This

[Fradam]

Dr Alf I thought the Sunline protest against Northerly was a valid one and a more valid one than what Olliver did on Sky Heights against Etheral the week before. If Childs could have proved that Northerly barging into Viscount who intern banged into Sunline then he had a case and that's what happened, it just wasn't a strong enough case. By the way you could sure tell who Ken Calendar had his money on and it wasn't Sunline or Viscount.

Fradam Wrote This

[ed healey]

The most articulate in the stewards room was Fred Kersley.
Viscount resented being boxed in and lay out on northerley first,then northerley lay in slightly as it zoomed past sunline and viscount,oliver straightened and rode him to the line on one rein and was still pulling away,sunline was laying out under pressure as its run had peaked.
maybe if they all had clear runs viscount may have run 2nd and sunline 3rd,but for anyone to say oliver cost the others the race,they obviously dont know a horse from a piecost.
Northerley had them covered 100 mtrs out and won by 3/4 length.pulling away.
I just wish he had run in the caulfield cup,he would have won that by 5 lengths.
Fred Kersley has trained and driven over 2000 winners at the trots,is a master horseman and well deserved his win.
His moment of payback for all the work he has done for racing in general over 40yrs.
By the way i backed universal prince so im not talking thru my kick.

[Mag Rob]

I too backed The prince, so I do not utter bitter words.

Northerly would have won the race regardless of any intereference with sunline. Northery finished fast..... REAL FAST, and is proving to be a champion (even though when i watch him run I wonder where the hurdles are going to pop up) Oliver pulled hard on Northerly to try to stop him from veering, but the thing about the horse is that Northerly isn't the type of horse that Sunline, Might & power, Big O etc. were, When he gallops he looks like he shouldn't be, no style just pure speed.

Fradam, I was at Moonee and I watched the raced from the lawn outside the trackside cafe, I saw the replay about 20 times... One thing is evident to people without a sunline bias... Sunline was the first horse to veer towards Viscount. Childs pulled the whip and 'stopped riding' when he made contact and squeezed viscount, true northerly then moved in but the race was over and the only person to blame was childs. (i don't really blame him, if he didnt pull the whip sunline could have bled... my opinion only). In my eyes the only protest with merit was viscount on sunline, but yesterday the stewerds made the right decision.

Dr Alf your summary was terrific however may I point out one thing the real winner from yesterday was John Hawkes. Look at his stable now Viscount, Lonhro, Omens... he could dominate next year!


Go hard.... Go the Gauch!

[ed healey]

with 300 of the chooken kings horses and 120 private clients as well he would want to bloody dominate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fradam]

I never said Viscount was going to win, just that Oliver took away any chance he had and it's not beyond possibility that he could have, we've all seen races before where a horse has been headed and then fought back to regain the lead. I'm not saying Viscount would've won but we'll never know coz he wasn't given the chance. I'm saying what chance he had was taken away and I just think it's a shame. I reject that Childs is to blame for the interference. I was disapointed that once his mount had be contacted that he failed to control her but he didn't initiate the contact. We've all seen worse interference, I'm saying it was just dissapointing that Damien couldn't control his mount so that the race can be decided on the track and not in the stewards room.

Fradam Wrote This

[Lockyer24]

I got a return for the first time in yonks thanks to Northerly!
But boy did that protest make me sweat :/

[JLC]

Notherly was clearly the best horse. Oliver didnt even need to use the whip to win.

Universal Prince will still win the Melbourne Cup. This was just a lead up race and there will be horses of the calibre of Sunline and Northerly to run against.


APA

EVERYONE IS A COLLINGWOOD SUPPORTER ITS JUST THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE IN DENIAL

[Greg J]

I heard several jockeys mention that both Northerly and Sunline would have been outed in Europe, and the race given to Viscount.

Initially, I thought that Viscount had run into the back of Northerly and could not understand what all the fuss was about.

But I was not all that interested as I was after a Silvano - Sunline quinella. Bloody Germans, never back them in a war or in a horse race.

Greg J