Sydney's autumn carnival, while boasting more Group One races, does not quite have the romance of Melbourne's spring carnival but still provided plenty of highlights.
We take a look at the highs and lows of Sydney's racing extravaganza and just what it means for the future.
The trainer: Maligned in Melbourne, the exuberant Gai Waterhouse, one of racing's brightest personalities, is clearly Sydney's dominant trainer. She won four Group One races during the carnival, two more than any other trainer, the highlight being Sebring's win in the Golden Slipper. The colt's win in that race could see the manual for training Slipper winners rewritten in coming years as Sebring had not run for seven weeks prior to the race.
The jockey: Glen Boss is Australia's premier jockey, followed by Darren Beadman. It's no surprise given both are now plying their trade in the toughest school of all - Hong Kong. The rides of Boss on Sebring in the Slipper and Triple Honour in the Doncaster - when he sought inside runs - were the difference between winning and running second. Damien Oliver won more Group Ones than any other hoop and his ride on Sarrera in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, when he stuck to the inside, showed he too can be a force. But for now, Boss and Beadman are the ones you want riding for your dough in the big ones.
The horse: Already Melbourne's premier galloper, Weekend Hussler showed he was a bona fide star of the Australian turf when he trounced Racing To Win in the George Ryder Stakes. Racing To Win subsequently won the All-Aged Stakes, while another Ryder placegetter Casino Prince went on to run another two placings at Group One level. Furthermore, Triple Honour, the horse which Weekend Hussler narrowly beat in the Randwick Guineas, took out the nation's premier mile - the Doncaster Handicap. The Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup beckons.
The race: The George Ryder was worth only $400,000 but it was the race of the carnival. It saw Weekend Hussler taking on the nation's finest weight-for-age sprinter-milers such as Racing To Win, Desert War, Mentality and Casino Prince for the first time. Despite making his Rosehill debut and racing in wet going, Weekend Hussler made it a one-horse affair.
The flop: It was not a great carnival for Victorian-based trainers, who won just three of the 20 Group Ones on offer. Ross McDonald and Greg Eurell flew the flag with their respective stars but major Melbourne players Lee Freedman and David Hayes were quiet. A poor ride from Danny Nikolic saw Sugar Babe, Freedman's best hope for a major win, beaten in the Slipper. Hayes had the Slipper all but won with Von Costa De Hero but one-time Sydney Cup favourite The Fuzz, boom three-year-old Largo Lad, spruiked as a Derby hope, and Blue Diamond winner Reann all disappointed.
The Cups: As shown in Sydney, there is still a dearth of quality stayers in Australia. Kiwi gallopers ran one-two in the Derby ahead of Littorio, which is shaping as a dour handicapper, and Sydney Cup winner No Wine No Song is hardly going to scare the finest from Europe. Of those prominent in early Melbourne Cup markets, Kibbutz, after breaking down, is no guarantee to rediscover the form which saw him win last year's VRC Derby, and Master