G'day Skytrain,
With all due respect to your comments I think that due to current economics and mind-thoughts the era/future of champion aussie stayers is very limited and may be in decline.
If a trainer has one of potential then in this day and age he can chase those big money events all over the globe if he/she chooses.
While I lament the demise of the stayers' ranks in Oz we now have some of the best sprinter/milers in the world as borne out with our antipodean "raiders" which have plundered the best races in the northern hemisphere in recent years.
I can't see this changing in the immediate future so with the influx of international "raiders" for our carnival it reinforces the fact that racing today is truly international and everyone is much better off for this(imo).

Cheers.