Lets bring back some debate and opinion to this forum. Which has gone rapidly downhill imo over the past bit.

I have created a fantasy field of 5 runners from the past decade to take part in a 2 race series. The first race is the Australia Cup at Flemington and the second race is the Cox Plate at the valley.

They are both weight for age races so no horse is at a disadvantage (maybe elvis, not sure if he won at wfa) and each horse must be considered to be at their absolute peak.

1. Might & Power
2. Sunline
3. Northerly
4. Elvstroem
5. Makybe Diva

As tough as an assingment it is to find the winner i ask is the same horse going to win both races? will the same 3 fill the positions? Feel free to throw up any thoughts but i would like more than just a selection-tell me why it is going to win!

I will post shortly with my view to a possible cox plate race. Aussie cup to follow.

Sorry about the delay.

Here is how i see the cox plate being run:
Barriers are not going to play much part in a 5 horse race but in my fantasy race might and power drew the 2 and sunline the 3 which was the only significance meaning that sunline had the rail and MAP was one out.

Speed map:
rail
Elvis sunline
Makybe Diva Northerly Might and power

This race is going to be run at a solid quick tempo but not break neck pace, meaning that the diva is struggling to keep up but sunline and might and power are just bounding along in front. Come the 800 both elvis and northerly are hard ridden trying to keep up to the pace which has been turned up by the front two and the diva has had to come 3 wide. Sunline and might and power are going stride for stride ala bonecrusher and our waverly star. Rounding the home turn it is a 3 horse race but with diva having to be 3 wide since 800 in this company she is lacking her usual finishing burst and sunline and might and power have her measure by about a length.

The winner- in a flip of the coin i could not separate them but i just think sunline's 2000 win was a tiny bit more superior to MAP's 98 win so the mare gets the nod by the smallest margin

Australian cup to follow.

its simple..

Makybe Diva and Makybe Diva

WFA you say? she smashed every big race she ran with handicapped weight and i can assure you that WFA for her will be around 3-5kg less then a handicapped weight. she broke the course record in the australian cup and she won with ease 13 wide, not 3 in a super field in the cox plate. she will appreciate pace up front and in a field such as this fantasy field (as she did in the cox) she will not let herself get too far bak. No horse in her racing career has gotten the better of her. Nor has she ever been run down.

Thats wat i think and im sure ill have more to say.....

cheeers...

i am not one to start massive arguments, but last years cox plate sectionals were phenominal. They ran the slowest first 1000m since they started timing and then from the 1000 to the winning post they were slower than what might and power and sunline did in their wins.

People say you only have to beat what you are put up against, well i put the diva up against the best and i think she falls short only cause of the tight track.

You also mention weights- here they are according to WFA.
Might an power, Elvis, Northerly 58 kgs
Sunline and Makybe Diva 55.5 kgs.

Dont worry, when i post the australian cup race the diva will be winning-i just dont think she gets over the line here.

Northerly beat the best ever field assembled in a cox and if he had stayed sound would have ended up with at least 4 cox plates. Unbeaten at the valley, beat sunline over 1600m here, beat her twice at 2000m here as well as types such as viscount, lonhro, universal prince, defier, grandera and fields of omagh to name a few. Plus he is clearly the best 2000m horse of the 5.