Adelaide produced the best performance of the four-year-olds this season when claiming the Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October.
The 2014 W S Cox Plate run over 2040m comprised ten individual group one winners with 19 victories between them, headed of course by dual G1 ATC Doncaster Handicap winner Sacred Falls.
The field also comprised three overseas trained runners Adelaide, Guest Of Honour and Side Glance who returned for a second attempt after running sixth in 2013 behind Shamus Award.
Iconic Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien who has won group one races all over the world had his first Cox Plate runner in three-year-old Adelaide, a progressive son of Galileo who did not disappoint staging a remarkable last to first performance to narrowly claim the major prize from 2013 Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner.
For O’Brien it was his first major race win in Australia, eclipsing his previous best effort in 2007, with another three-year-old Mahler, who finished a game third behind Efficient in the Melbourne Cup.
Considerable pre-race interest centred on how the race would be run but with the free-going Tasmanian galloper The Cleaner engaged, the pace was sure to be on from the start.
And it was - going down the short straight for the first time, there were four runners vying for the lead, with The Cleaner widest of all but finally taking control when the pace slowed slightly around the 1400m mark at which stage Adelaide was a clear last.
But around the 1200m Moore began to make his move setting Adelaide on a course around the field gradually picking off his rivals as the tempo began to moderate- moving into a strong challenging position at the 600m about eight lengths off the leader.
Moore continued to urge Adelaide forward out very deep approaching the turn for home - the widest runner some eight horses deep and five lengths off the lead but building momentum for the run to the line.
Adelaide showed great courage to keep coming in the closing stages joining the leaders at the 100m, eventually winning by a head from Fawkner in a blanket finish with Silent Achiever third.
As Adelaide crossed the line there were five horses within a length of him the others being Side Glance, Foreteller and Happy Trails.
Adelaide’s winning race time was the 2:03.76 just 0.22 seconds outside champion Might And Power’s class and race record set in 1998.
So fast did the leaders go early, that times normalised for 2040m reveal the first 1200m was run in 1:12.03 and the first 1000m in 0:57.58 seconds.
It is little wonder the leaders had to stop, but Adelaide’s last to first performance going around every other runner in the race was extraordinary – the first time that has been achieved in modern history.
The effort was even more remarkable as Australia was the fifth country Adelaide has competed in during his last six starts – Ireland, Britain, US and France being the others.
In assessing the merit of the performance historical race standards indicated a range of values between 121 and 131.
The ratings profiles of the contributing beaten runners also pointed to a value in the high 120’s with provisional figure of 129 initially adopted as the best measure of the performance but subsequently revised to 128 upon further analysis, a new peak for the galloper.
In the overall context of the race, the win sits alongside some of the great previous Cox Plate winners such as Northerly (129 in 2002), Sunline (129 in 2000) but just behind So You Think (132 in 2010) and Might And Power (133 in 1998) and Better Loosen Up (131 in 1990).
A pound behind Adelaide is a trio of Chautauqua, Criterion and Dissident who each ran to 127 in their best performances of season 2014/15.
Solid through a spring campaign for David Payne, Criterion was transferred to David Hayes after running fifth in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington before embarking on a trip to Hong Kong.
Third in December’s Hong Kong International Cup (2000m), a brief let up followed prior to his autumn campaign.
The tough entire commenced with placings in both the Canterbury Stakes (1300m) and George Ryder Stakes (1500m) before a career best victory in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 11.
Prominent throughout settled in behind leader Fiveandahalfstar, Criterion travelled sweetly for jockey Craig Williams although the pair was left in front a long way from home as the early pacesetter folded up on straightening.
Leading from the 400m, Criterion left Queen Elizabeth Stakes rivals in his wake as the four-year-old dashed to a commanding margin before a 2.5 length success ensued over Red Cadeaux and Royal Descent.
Criterion’s third Group 1 victory returned the entire a Timeform rating of 127, a new peak for the son of Sebring.
127 sits two pounds clear of Criterion’s previous master Timeform rating returned when third in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) last December.
With a prior five-year winning average of 129, the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner comes in marginally below this average.
Criterion’s 2014/15 season which spanned 12 starts and three countries concluded with a respectable fifth in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (2011m) at Royal Ascot in June.
Another Sebring entire in Dissident flew the flag for Australian-trained four-year-olds on the home front.
He hit the ground running in season 2014/15 with successes in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) and Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m).
Dissident then produced a master Timeform rating of 127 when coming within a nose of setting a weight carrying record for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m).
The Group 1’s kept coming for Dissident in the autumn, winning the C.F Orr Stakes (1400m) before concluding his career with an All Aged Stakes (1400m) victory at Randwick on April 18.
Third in the All Aged Stakes was the Team Hawkes-trained Chautauqua who recorded a career best win in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick 12 days earlier.
Chautauqua sits equal second in the Timeform Ranking Charts for his closing second to Darley Classic winner Terravista at Flemington on November 8.
Imports and International Raiders hold positions five through to equal seventh on the Timeform Ranking Chart for four-year-olds in Australia this season.
The Godolphin-raced Hartnell finished the season with a master Timeform rating of 124, achieved when winning the Group 1 BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on March 28 ahead of To The World who sits equal seventh on 122 with fellow Japanese Raider Tosen Stardom.
In sixth is the Gai Waterhouse-trained Pornichet who was a dominant winner of the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2200m) on May 9.
A Group 1 placegetter in France before being transferred to Gai Waterhouse, Pornichet has always looked comfortable since arriving in Australia.
The Vespone entire was already a three time stakes winner in Australia however the Doomben Cup is clearly the jewel in his crown.
After returning what had been a master Timeform rating of 120 in winning the Toowoomba Cup seven days earlier, Pornichet exceeded this figure by three pounds in the Doomben Cup.
A Timeform rating of 123p comes in noticeably above the five year winning average of the event.
Connections were not shy about their Cox Plate ambitions after Pornichet claimed the Toowoomba Cup off a four week let up.
While 123p is still shy of what’s generally required to be winning a Cox Plate, his three pound improvement a week between runs is a step in the right direction.
Might And Power went on to take out the Doomben Cup – Cox Plate double in 1998.
Going unbeaten through the spring, Group 1 Emirates Stakes winner Hucklebuck spearheads a quartet of gallopers who possess a peak rating of 121 for season 2014/15 including Charlie Boy, Hooked and Lord Of The Sky.
