Many champions have graced the turf since Australian racing’s first organised meeting in 1810 at Hyde Park in Sydney. But just who has been the best?
Over the next five weeks, Roar racing editor Justin Cinque, Roar expert Andrew Hawkins and the Roar’s unofficial historian Sheek will name their top 50 racehorses to have ever raced in Australia.
After the top five were revealed yesterday, the series continues today with the countdown from 10-6. And there a few surprises today.
(And in case you’re wondering, yes, Kiwis do count!)
TENTH
10. Sheek – Black Caviar (b.2006) 25 starts/25 wins/0 seconds/0 thirds (100% winning strike rate)
Black Caviar is Australia’s undisputed greatest ever sprinter, running both consistently fast times and sectionals. But two things prevent her from being ranked higher – a lack of versatility in running distances (only one attempt at her maximum distance 1400m) and only one major handicap win carrying a marginally larger weight than weight-for-age.
Major wins include Newmarket Hcp, CF Orr Stakes, two TJ Smith Stakes, three Lightning Stakes plus the Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
10. Justin Cinque – Vain (b. 1966) 14/12/2/0 (86%)
If Vain didn’t break down halfway through his three-year old season, there’s every chance I’d have him above Black Caviar as Australia’s best ever sprinter. His legion of fans – still large in number 44 years after his 1970 retirement – would disapprove of a ranking of 10.
Vain only lost twice in 14 starts and he had valid excuses on both occasions – illness and a bog track. He won the Golden Slipper by four and the Champagne by ten at two.
At three, he won the Caulfield Guineas over a mile against his own age.
Then he won three times during 1969 Melbourne Cup week – taking the Craven A (now Salinger, 1200m, handicap) by a dozen lengths on Derby Day; the Linlinthgow (now Patinack, 1400m, weight-for-age) on Oaks Day by six; and the George Adams (now Emirates, 1600m, handicap) on Final Day.
It was his last race.
10. Andrew Hawkins – Makybe Diva (b.1999) 36/15/4/3 (42%)
“A champion becomes a legend…” – no one will ever forget where they were when racecaller Greg Miles uttered that statement as Makybe Diva crossed the line to win her third consecutive Melbourne Cup.
A foal no one wanted when she went through the famed Tattersalls ring at Newmarket, she was imported to Australia as a yearling.
She was beaten on debut at Benalla in July 2002, but quickly rose through the ranks winning six races in a row, including the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2500m) in November 2002.
Her first Melbourne Cup came 12 months later under jockey Glen Boss, while she added the Sydney Cup to her cabinet the following autumn.
At this time, her trainer David Hall left Melbourne for Hong Kong, meaning she ended up with hall of fame trainer Lee Freedman.
Under Freedman, she would go incredibly close to winning the famed Cups double, beaten a nose by Elvstroem in the 2004 Caulfield Cup before sneaking through along the inside to win her second Melbourne Cup.
If she’d retired then, she may have snuck into this list towards the bottom. But it was the 2005 calendar year where she made her mark.
An Australian Cup victory in course record time was followed by her most visually impressive win in The BMW. She failed in two races in Japan, attributed to the firm tracks, before she returned for one final spring.
Success in the Cox Plate was followed by an incredible third Melbourne Cup, under what seemed a generous weight of 58kg.
No doubt she had established herself as one of the greatest to race in Australia.
NINTH
9. Sheek – Ajax (b.1934) 46/36/7/2 (80%).
Arguably Australia’s greatest ever ‘miler’, Ajax often suffered from the same criticism as Black Caviar, a lack of really big prizes.
But his record is undisputedly outstanding. In 1937/38 he enjoyed 18 successive victories.
Major wins include WS Cox Plate, Newmarket Hcp (57 kgs as 3yo), Caulfield Gns, two Mackinnon Stakes, three Futurity Stakes, three All Aged Stakes and CB Fisher Plate.
9. Justin Cinque – Grand Flaneur (b. 1877) 9/9 (100%)
In the history of Australian racing, Grand Flaneur’s unbeaten winning streak on metropolitan tracks of nine is only second to Black Caviar at 25. Grand Flaneur was an incredible entire – he debuted with victory at Flemington in January, 1880 over 1000m as a two-year old.
He was then unsighted until September, when he won the AJC Derby first-up from a spell over 2400m. Then he became the first of only four horses to claim the AJC Derby-VRC Derby (2400m)-Melbourne Cup (3200m) treble.
His victory in the 1881 Champion Stakes (4800m) means Grand Flaneur is one of the few horses in Australian history to have won at distances ranging 1000-4800m.
Grand Flaneur was injured at the end of his three-year old campaign and was retired to stud. He was the nation’s leading sire in 1895.
9. Andrew Hawkins – Black Caviar (b. 2006) 25/25 (100%)
Put simply, it is still far too soon after she has retired to accurately ascertain her true position on this list.
Many of the other horses in this list have had time for their reputations to grow or to shrink, and it is under that knowledge we can place them in an order with which we feel comfortable.
There is nothing more that can be said about Black Caviar that we here at The Roar haven’t said already.
We have been lucky to cover her career, from her spectacular successes to her… well, there were no failures. Only near-failures. She still won, every time.
I wish I’d seen her in a mile race, or even a stronger 1400m contest. Her lack of versatility over different distances will probably see her reputation fade slightly over the coming years.
Dare I say, her place in this list may have been even higher had she been beaten at one of her early starts and connections decided to take her up in journey.
Who knows? Just like this list, it’s a hypothetical.
EIGHTH
8. Sheek – Makybe Diva (b.1999) 36/15/4/3 (42%).
Of all the horses in my top 10, Makybe Diva is the only one with a win ratio below 50%. But the quality of her wins is indisputable – three Melbourne Cups, WS Cox Plate, Australian Cup, HE Tancred Stakes (BMW), Sydney Cup, VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, plus a second and fourth in the Caulfield Cup.
My major quibble is that she was ‘gifted’ her third Melbourne Cup (2005) with a ridiculously comfortable weight of 58 kgs.
She had clearly demonstrated her ability to carry weight in winning key weight-for-age races and should have been weighted more.
8. Justin Cinque – Manikato (b. 1975) 47/29/8/5 (62%)
As far as I can tell, Manikato’s 25 Group 1s is three more than any other horse (Ajax has 22) in the history of Australian racing.
Manikato won five William Reids; four Futurities; two Freeways (now Manikato Stakes) – eight Group 1s at Moonee Valley in total, where he is buried.
As the nation’s best juvenile, he is one of five horses to have won the Blue Diamond-Golden Slipper double at two; eight races that are now Group 1s as a three-year old including six against the older horses.
His last Group 1 came in his second-last race, as a seven-year old in the Futurity.
He was a sprinter but he won at a longer trip (1800m) than any other notable spinter in Australian history. The exception is Todman, who won over 1900m.
8. Andrew Hawkins – Manikato (b. 1975) – 47/29/8/5 (62%)
As will become apparent as this list progresses, there are two qualities I admire in horses above everything else. They are versatility – the range of distances over which a horse excels – and the longevity of one’s career.
In the last 40 years, with the possible exception of Mahogany, I doubt there has been so versatile a horse as Manikato.
He was primarily a sprinter, winning both the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Golden Slipper as a two year old and excelling around the Moonee Valley 1200m. He won a record five William Reid Stakes – no horse has a record like it in a major race in Australia.
He also won four Futurity Stakes and two Freeway Stakes. At the time, the majority of races he won weren’t recognised as Group 1s as they are today, so he is perhaps the biggest victim of race upgrades and downgrades in recent years.
He was able to stretch out to a mile too, winning the Caulfield Guineas and the George Ryder Stakes over the extended trip, while he almost led all the way in an Australian Cup over 2000m. It took a top horse in Dulcify to run him down.
He’s a worthy competitor to Black Caviar as the greatest sprinter we have seen.
SEVENTH
7. Sheek – Peter Pan (b.1929) 39/23/6/1 (59%).
According to track experts of the day, Peter Pan gave little away to Phar Lap in distances up to 2400m, with Phar Lap being considered stronger over longer distances.
Which is saying something, because Peter Pan won two Melbourne Cups (the second carrying 62.5 kgs)!
Nicknamed the ‘Blond Bombshell’ for his flaxen mane and lightly coloured coat, Peter Pan shared a similarity with all the great horses of being comfortable with big weights, running in the dry or wet and irrespective of a fast or slow pace.
He was adaptable, another trait he shared with each of my top eight, who could win races from 1200m up to and beyond 3200m.
Other notable wins include AJC Derby and St Leger, All Aged Stakes, two Mackinnon Stakes and two AJC Autumn Stakes.
7. Justin Cinque – Black Caviar (b. 2006) 25/25 (100%)
On one hand, I can count the times Black Caviar wasn’t dominant in victory. Our greatest sprinter; undefeated over five seasons in 25 races.
Her victories in the 2010 Patinack and 2011 Lightning were, at the time, the purest victories I’ve ever seen by a sprinter, but they wouldn’t rank in Black Caviar’s top ten victories.
She shares the weight-carrying record for a mare in the Newmarket Handicap (58kgs), holds the 1000m Flemington track record, and brought racing back to the front page.
If you’re wondering why I haven’t got her higher than a ranking of seven, I’d say because she didn’t prove herself at a mile and also because she wasn’t the dominant horse in the world during her career – Frankel shaded her.
7. Andrew Hawkins – Wakeful (b.1896) 45/25/12/4 (57%)
The original “first lady of the turf” – the remarkable Wakeful. You want longevity? You want versatility? She had it in spades.
She was probably at her best around the 2000m mark, but her winning distances ranged from the 1100m of the Oakleigh Plate to the 4800m of the AJC Plate and Champion Stakes. She also won the Newmarket Handicap, the Doncaster Handicap and the Sydney Cup during her career.
Her finest hour, though, came in defeat in the 1903 Melbourne Cup. Carrying the equivalent of 22kg more than three year old Lord Cardigan, she still managed to get within a length of victory.
In an era where the spread in weights in the Melbourne Cup is likely to be no more than six kilograms, a 22kg difference is difficult to comprehend.
She also had success as a broodmare, producing the 1918 Melbourne Cup winner Night Watch. He was able to avenge her unlucky defeat 15 years earlier.
SIXTH
6. Sheek – Wakeful (b.1896) 45/25/12/4 (57%)
Wakeful’s greatest moment occurred in defeat at the 1903 Melbourne Cup. Asked to carry the grandstand crushing weight of 63.5 kgs, the gallant mare was run down less than a length by the 3 year old colt Lord Cardigan carrying a piddling 42 kgs.
And how good was Lord Cardigan? In the following year’s Cup he carried 60 kgs into second place. If only the VRC handicapper of 2003-05 had been around 100 years earlier!
Hailed as the ‘First Lady of the Turf’, Wakeful’s other notable wins include Sydney Cup (60.5 kgs), Doncaster Handicap, Newmarket Handicap, Oakleigh Plate, CB Fisher Plate, two Caulfield Stakes, three Mackinnon Stakes.
6. Justin Cinque – Wakeful (b.1896) 45/25/12/4 (57%)
Wakeful is undoubtedly the greatest mare to have ever raced in Australia. About 30% of her wins are in races that are now defunct, yet she still managed to claim a mammoth 12 modern-day Group 1s, including three Mackinnons.
She started racing in 1901 as a four-year old and claimed the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) – Newmarket (1200m) – Doncaster (1600m) handicap treble at her third, fourth and fifth starts. Wakeful is the only horse to have won those three races in the same season.
She would later win the AJC Plate and Champion Stakes over 4800m, break the race record over two miles in the 1902 Sydney Cup (with 60.5kgs on her back) and finish second with 63.5kgs in her last race, the 1903 Melbourne Cup.
In the 1903 Melbourne Cup, Wakeful conceded a ridiculous 22 kgs to the winner Lord Cardigan. We will never read of another Wakeful.
6. Andrew Hawkins – Malua (b.1879) 47/12/10/3 (26%)
I’m sure some will be aghast to see Malua rated so highly, but in Australian racing, Malua is the king of both versatility and longevity.
I have him rated equally with Wakeful, but his feats in the 1884 calendar year pushed him one spot higher.
As a two and three year old he had moderate success, first in Tasmania, then in Victoria.
He thrived as a four year old, though, and in the autumn of 1884 he came out and won both the Oakleigh Plate and the Newmarket Handicap. Both races are amongst the quickest on the racing calendar and require a horse with plenty of speed.
That spring, he came back and proved himself as a stayer of note by winning the Melbourne Cup. Fancy that – a horse winning the Oakleigh Plate and the Melbourne Cup in the same calendar year!
During the autumn of 1886, Malua added the Australian Cup – then run over two and a quarter miles, or 3600m – to his record, but his form tapered off and he looked finished.
But he had one shock left – in 1888, as a nine year old, he came out and won the Grand National Hurdle over three and a quarter miles, or 5200m.
He ticks the boxes for what I consider to be a champion.
bill woods
Guest
The horses you have selected are champions .I have personally seen the first seven golden slippers . Also many champions from the 1960 to up till now 2018. The horse you have left out in my opinion is as good as many of the horses you have written about .the horse is SKY HIGH he has won from 5 furlongs to mile and 3/4 he is so far the only horse to run in the golden slipper and the Melbourne cup. regards bill woods.
Stephen Lanning
Guest
Yep. Black Caviar should clearly in the top three. Horses that do the hard yards in handicaps should be rated the highest such as BC Rising fast Peter pan etc. Not kingston town who won most races at wfa. Sydney cup is only hcp I can think of.
Dennis Moore
Guest
I think somewhere in that top 20 should have been the filly named BRISEIS in the year 1876 as a 2 year old she won the All Age Stakes, Doncaster Handicap and a Flying Handicap. As a 3 year old in the same year she won the VRC Derby, Melbourne Cup and the VRC Oaks. At least a top 20 position if not top 10. Dennis
Lee Delaney
Roar Rookie
"Too much is made of BC’s unbeaten record. Her races were largely managed to ensure an unbeaten record.....". Surely you jest.....She won injured, won straight races, around bends, left handed, right handed, in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and on the other side of the world at Ascot. She won Melbourne's best Grp1 sprint race in the spring twice, Australia's best 1000m Grp1 race 3 times (incl track record), Australia's oldest/hardest Grp1 1200m race with top weight (set a weight carrying record for a mare), Sydney's best Grp1 sprint twice, Brisbane's best Grp1 1200m race, Adelaide's premier Grp1 sprint race and the premier Grp1 sprint race at Royal Ascot when injured (the 2nd horse, Moonlight Cloud won 5 Grp1's and a Grp3 at her next 8 starts). She beat the world's 2nd highest rated sprinter 6 out of 6 times. She ran in every race she should have ran in. She holds the Australasian record for most Grp1 wins and for all that she remained unbeaten. What was she supposed to do.....go around in the Cup ??
jules
Guest
Rising Fast has to be in the top 10 for mine. He is probably the best handicap stayer to ever race in this country, he won two Caulfield cups, the second one with 61.5kgs, and narrowly missed a second Melbourne Cup carrying 63.kgs (where many say connections should have protested and probably would have won). He won over varying distances including the G1 Orr over 1400m, to 3200m, and in 1954 had the greatest spring campaign ever IMO, where he won the Turnbull Stakes, Caulfield Stakes, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Melbourne Cup, LKS Mackinnon Stakes and VRC C.B.Fisher Plate. He was clearly a superior stayer to Makybe Diva, and IMO, would have towelled her up easily. His major wins include: Caulfield Stakes (1954) Caulfield Cup (1954, 1955) Cox Plate (1954) Melbourne Cup (1954) C.B.Fisher Plate (1954) John F Feehan Handicap LKS Mackinnon Stakes (1954, 1955) Turnbull Stakes (1954) VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1954, 1955) Blamey Stakes (1956) C F Orr Stakes (1956) Memsie Stakes (1956) He was a beauty, an all time great for sure.
Andrew C (waikato)
Guest
Justin, thanks for elucidating as to why you judged Rising Fast outside top 10 / 20 status. He didn't cross the ditch to Melbourne until Spring 1954, as a FIVE-year-old gelding, which probably accounts for his low strike rate/ % in your eyes. Perhaps if I revisit some of your negatives, I can make a case for perhaps only counting his 3 seasons racing in Orstralia to illustrate a higher ranking of this champion galloper. I have the advantage of owning an edition of 'Racing with Rising Fast' (written by his owner Leicester Spring & released in 1971) and whilst it contains his owner's opinions, it also quotes prominent racing scribes who attest to his greatness. Unlike SHEEK who I believe has seen every champion galloper in the flesh since time memorable :) , I can honestly say I was still in nappies in 1954 !! I'll do my sums/calcs and get back to ya all incl Andrew (& Co :) )
Andrew Hawkins
Expert
I've always loved the story of Rimfire. To think Jack Thompson, one of our great riders, was beaten by 15 year old Ray Neville, who had only ridden in nine races and had ridden only one winner. And his next winner in a metropolitan Melbourne race was not until June 1965 in a steeplechase! I think it is a part of racing history that has been forgotten, somewhat.
Andrew Hawkins
Expert
I guess I am the "and co" - hahahaha. I agree, Rising Fast will definitely be in my top 20, but he just missed out on the top 10 for mine.
Justin Cinque
Expert
That's fair enough paulywalnuts. I can't speak for Sheek and Andrew but versatility is only one of many, many things I considered for this list. I admire horses that are versatile, that won a high % of races, that won a decent number of G1s if they raced in the last 70-80 years, that were dominant if they raced in the TV era, that were at the top for many seasons, that have incredible CVs, that won overseas. Forget the Shoot Outs and the Weekend Husslers and let's look at the horses from the mid 1990s+ that are seriously in contention for the top 50: Mahogany (Versatile? Yes, won G1s from 1000-2500m) Octagonal (Maybe - super 2yo and won G1s from 1400-2400m) Might and Power (Probably not- won G1s at 2000-3200) Sunline (Probably not - G1s from 1200-2040) Northerly (Probably not G1s from 1600-2400) Makybe Diva (Yes, G1s from 1400-3200) So You Think (No (but he did run third in the MC, G1s from 1400-2100) Black Caviar (No, G1s from 1000-1400) What does that say? The times have changed. Versatility is becoming a rare thing. But how many of those horses were good enough to have serious claims to the top 10 in history? Black Caviar and Makybe Diva - that's it in my opinion. I'm happy to say that Sunline is contention for the top 15. In the last 15 years, there hasn't been a completely dominant horse over all distances. I'm not saying it's not possible to have another. History says they happen about every 20-40 years. Carbine - b. 1880s Phar Lap - b. 1920s Tulloch - b. 1950s Kingston Town - b. 1970s Now perhaps we have enjoyed our superstar horse of the modern era to follow on from Kingston Town - Black Caviar. But, we are due for the next Kingston Town. The next horse that can dominate for four/five seasons from the sprint/mile to two miles. Why can't it happen? Breeding is a global business. A horse with European or American breeding could be the next horse in that chain. And if there was a horse with the speed/stamina of the big four, I'd like to think they'd be given a chance to be versatile. Just as So You Think was.
paulywalnuts
Guest
True, but even as late as the 90s great sprinters like Scillachi and Hareeba launched failed Doncaster bids. Would they have attempted this if there was a million dollar WFA sprint (the TJ) in their day? I very much doubt it. Takeover Target and Miss Andretti only briefly touched 1400m and never went beyond it. They didn't have to. And it wasn't so long ago Weekend Hussler was set the task of winning an Oakleigh Plate and a Melbourne Cup in the same year. Shoot Out was attempting to win July sprints en route to the Cup, before Waller quckly found out he was a miler. These things seem like folly now (already!), but were considered possble by connections at the time. The good old days are gone, and they ain't coming back. Sure it may still happen from time to time, but if you're going to compare the modern thoroughbred to latter day ones on the basis of versatility, they're increasingly going to come up short. That's because more and more often, they aren't even going to try.
Justin Cinque
Expert
That's very fair paulywalnuts. It's a balancing act. But I say versatility is still possible in the 21st century.. Makybe Diva won current-day Group 1s from 1400 (Memsie) to 3200 (Melbourne Cup). That is the exact G1 winning range of Phar Lap! And many other horses as well. Speaking of modern-day G1s... Manikato was an incredibly versatile horse. As time has passed his amount of modern-day Group 1 victories has increased - now to 25. He won 29 races and 25 of them at G1 level. That's remarkable
Justin Cinque
Expert
Andrew I went into this exercise expecting to slot Rising Fast into my top ten but I couldn't get him in. Two things that let him down - now I'm being harsh but this is a list of the greatest horses over the course of 200 years - a winning strike rate of about 35% and the fact his big wins came over about 2/3 seasons as opposed to four or five. That second part let down the likes of Makybe Diva and Bernborough in my lists. I rate longevity and (Group 1) performance at the top level over many seasons. But Rising Fast on reputation alone deserves to be high up. He'll be in my top 25 for sure. Not sure how high.
sheek
Roar Guru
Hi Justin, I think as I said to you in another email, Makybe Diva did achieve several exceptional things. 1. She won the unofficial triple crown of major Australian wfa races - WS Cox Plate, Australian Cup & He Tancred Stakes (BMW). 2. She failed by just a mere head to win the unofficial triple crown of major Australian staying handicap races - Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup & Sydney Cup. 3. She DID win three Melbourne Cups. If I had owned her, I would happily swap one of those Melbourne Cup wins for a Caulfeild Cup.
sheek
Roar Guru
Hi Gene, Everything you say is apparently as it happened. Jockey Jack Thompson (Dark Marne's rider) went to his grave believing he had won that day. Poor old Jack's humour wasn't helped by the fact he had three seconds in the Melbourne Cup (1945, 48 & 58).
sheek
Roar Guru
Hi Andrew, Agree with everything you say about Rising Fast. He will be among my 11-15, if that makes you happy! It's really tough separating some horses. Like splitting hairs. Also, especially with first 10, we were time challenged. This is the first time I've really tried to do this exercise. I intend to repeat at a later stage at leisure & see if it's possible to make more considered judgements.
Gene Sayers
Guest
ANDREW AND SHEEK - there's an MC story I'm sure you're aware of. I am because my grandad never stopped cursing technology. He had a bet down on Dark Marne in the '48 race. The stewards looked at the photo, which was a new invention back then, and gave the verdict to Rimfire. Later it was found that the camera had been angled incorrectly. My grandad used to say, "First time I ever backed a horse that won and still got beaten."
Andrew C (waikato)
Guest
Sheek, Justin & Co, I'm really gobsmacked to peruse 1 to 10 and not see RISING FAST mentioned. He was undisputed wfa & hcp king in Australia in 1954 (under Ivan Tucker) & 1955 (under Fred Hoysted), won a never-been-done-before Spring Grand Slam (in the same season 1954) of Caulfield Cup-Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup, almost repeated the Cups dose in 1955 (2nd to Toporoa who should've been relegated for interference/drifting out to RF's line, but Hoysted wouldn't protest & Bill Williamson was mute in the enquiry room ; the stewards weren't so mute - they outed Sellwood for two months ). He won 18 stakesraces, most of them Group Ones. Two Caulfield Cups, a Melbourne Cup (under 9st 5ibs) and an unlucky 2nd, a Cox plate & and a 2nd in 1956, Turnbull Stakes, CB Fisher Plate (twice) , LKS McKinnon Stakes (twice), etc etc............. Rising Fast is in both the Australian & NZ Hall Of Fame. I probably would have him in my top 5 (ok both Carbine & Phar Lap making valid arguments as does Vain imo). Black Caviar too recent but should get a footnote :) Greatness takes TIME like good wine :)
peeeko
Roar Guru
well the 800m is no an olympic event. phelps excelled at two strokes and medley at 100, 200 and 400. it is not a good comparison comparing a horse with a swimmer
paulywalnuts
Guest
I get the whole versatility thing, but I think if you judge modern horses on the basis of versatilty they are generally going to come up short compared to horses of yesteryear. Australian horseracing has had an historical emphasis on handicaps and this, combined with the way we structure carnivals has led to horses competing over a wide variety of distances. The Europeans, for example, race very differently, keeping their horses to a distance range where their ratings peak (SYT, Frankel, Canford Cliffs etc). Because with ample WFA options spread over the course of their flat season they are able to. And make no mistake, with increased WFA and oversas options for our sprinters (that simply weren't available as little as 15 years ago) and the international influence of their middle distance/staying types, we are seeing more of the same here. Internationalisation will bring increased specialisation. I don't see Black Caviar's distance range of victories as a mark against her. More a sign of the the times.
Justin Cinque
Expert
I love the Diva but one super year and three Melbourne Cups wasn't enough to land in my top ten. What could've she done to get in? Win a Caulfield Cup and win in Japan - I'd have her seventh if she did that.