On the question of which horse is the greatest of our generation I would think that would come down to a personal opinion?
Isnt' it just like us as footy fans selecting who our all time favourite Tiger players, who it is for you could be very different to me. Ditto when we talk about cricket and who's the best batsmen of the last 20 years or best spin bowler. It's all about personal opinion.
I would counter that by saying only to a point. It is possible by using ratings and results to quantify a lot when comparing horses, even if they have never raced each other and that's part of why I get a bit cranky when people question her record. For the record, my favorite horse was Super Impose but in spite of the pedestal I hold him up on, he doesn't blow wind up BC's proverbial clacker when it comes to who was purely the 'best'.
I stand corrected about the field of 4 and it being a group 2 but I ask this question not to be a smarty bum but because I'd be interested in someone who clearly knows more about horse racing than me. If it had of been any other horse making the request woud they have got a the favourable barrier? That's what i mean by question marks - would the same rule had been applied to any other horse? If yes then I will admit that I've got it terrible wrong but if the answer is no then I stand by what I said it's not a good look
And if the "bad mannered" horse's behaviour was so bad why was it allowed to race? Don't the stewards have discretion in these things at the barriers or at the acceptance stage?
I truly believe in this case it wouldn't have mattered who the horse or connections were - the circumstances were that (as you rightly asked why was Here De Angels running) as Moody said at the time, if he had played up in Victoria like he did the previous start in Sydney (proving that his barrier manners had not improved) then he wouldn't have even been allowed to enter a race again. And subsequently proven to be correct 6 months later but at the time of acceptances the horse was legally allowed to race in Vic again so they were bound to accept his nomination.
And again pardon my ignorance but I thought the watering of Flemington for the Melb Cup was to appease the overseas horses and their trainers more than it was to suit Aussie horses?
Nope, her connections put it in the public arena that she would be scratched unless the track was softer than it currently was and the Flemington Track Manager duly obliged. He had other reasons that he stated but most industry experts and players publicly commented and agreed that it was done to ensure she started because she liked the sting out of the track and they couldn't afford to not have her run.
I will admit I love the Melb Cup. Why? Because my dear old Aunty Amy who's husband & son trained horses very sucessfully told me when I was really young that the "truest" race in Aust when everyone is "trying" is the Melb Cup and yes she did explain to me why she believed that (long story but a fascinating one 
) That's why I rate the Maykbe Diva so highly because it was the Cup and I never thought I'd see a horse win it 3 times in row and I doubt we will ever see that again either
As do I. It is a compulsory day off work for me wherever I am and I love the occasion of the whole day. It started for me when I was a teenager and I used to bag for my uncle who was a bookie that fielded on the lawn every Cup day. Fantastic day and fantastic event. But that's where it gets clouded also, because the Melbourne Cup as a pure race is often quite humdrum with regards the quality of the field. I certainly agree it is among the "truest" of races on our calendar and that is due in part to the history, the prizemoney, the profile and the coverage but it doesn't always have the 'best' of fields. If you want a race in Australia that is both true in effort and has the highest quality contestants then the Cox Plate stands above all others.
Regarding the comments about the "tall poppy syndrome" if that's how my take has been construed then I am a sorry because that's not what I intended. I just have (being an ignoramus when it comes to racing) a few questions about some of the races; which I might add have now been cleared up by Smokey with his insight (thank you)
As I said she had a fantastic career and I am not disputing it for a minute. Her win at Ascot was the most brilliant performance because she did it despite the poor riding of her jockey on the day. Actually I would have retired her then, it was that special and the one that will stick with me forever
All good WP, I'm no expert either but I have been a racegoer all my life (for better or worse)
and I will defend her record to the end. She was something that no other race horse in my lifetime ever came close to being. What most didn't know at the time (and many still don't know) is how injured she was prior to the Ascot race. Add to that she injured herself further in running and compounded with Nolen's mistake, you then might have an inkling of how highly that win should be rated and not based just on the fact she 'fell in'. As her trainer said, he would not have even considered starting any other horse he had ever trained (which included the champion Typhoon Tracey) if they had been carrying the injuries she was that day. He thought she was just so much better and courageous that she would still win anyway - and he was proven correct, if not by the barest of margins. And regarding the jockey's mistake on her that day, he only did what he always did with her - drop his rein when she had the race safe and she would push on at a good clip for a fair distance until he needed to physically restrain her effort and pull her up. That day, because of her injuries, the second he dropped the rein she switched off because she was so sore and buggered. Nolen said he crapped when she did it because at the same second she stopped, he saw the French horse and was fast running out of reaction time/room. He said she desperately lunged when he clicked her at the last second and that's all that got her over the line.
A standout champion in my eyes.
