StableTalk

I've just seen the Queen Elizabeth and I thought it was far and away WINX's best performance of the season. Perhaps she is now settling and staying better but she looks so much happier racing at 2000m than at 1400m.

She had to come round them all and pass them all but she did and ran down GAILO CHOP without any great problem.

If she were mine, I'd forget about the Queen Anne and come over in October to Paris and take on ENABLE in the Arc. I think given decent ground she'd stay 2400m at European pace and pick them off down the Longchamp straight.

A hugely impressive performance.

I've seen WINX's return in the race named after her and I thought she might have been vulnerable on the first day back but she did it very well.

The impressive thing is she can lay up with 1400, 1600 or 2000m pace and quicken off it impressively. She travelled the furthest and still ran down her field with the minimum of fuss.

The Cox Plate will be a different kettle of fish - there will, I hope, be a substantial European challenge and BENBATL is no mug.

Winx gave them a big start at the top of the straight and ran away and hid at the finish in a hack canter. Chris Waller has said he believes Winx has come up better this time than last time. So Benbatl will have to be at the top of his game to beat her I believe. But time will tell on that.

In all honesty, BENBATL shouldn't get any closer than HIGHLAND REEL and indeed should be further away. There are some interesting European horses in the betting but I doubt many, if any, will travel for the race. POET'S WORD and ROARING LION clash at York tomorrow (Wednesday) and that's the best 2000m form we have.

JUNGLE CAT runs in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield tomorrow morning (UK).

He's the first of what I suspect will be a considerable raiding party on the spring Australian races from the Charlie Appleby yard at Newmarket. His last run was a win in the Al Quoz Sprint over 1200m at Meydan on World Cup night at the end of March but the long break wouldn't worry me as he runs well fresh. In England, he was campaigned over 1400m and in the 2017 Criterion Stakes at Newmarket he was second to HOME OF THE BRAVE who was formally moved to Australia after running last in the Breeders Cup Mile.

HOME OF THE BRAVE won a handicap at Rosehill last time and looks the one to beat in this race.

The Spring scene in Australia goes up a notch tomorrow with the Epsom and the Metropolitan at Randwick.

While there are no actual British trained runners in the Metropolitan, a number of the runners had careers in Europe before being sold to Australia. MIDTERM for example was an ex-Sir Michael Stoute horse and at one time was a Derby contender. His last run suggested he was on the right road and he might go close.

Less conventionally, the strongly fancied HIGH BRIDGE plied his trade as a jumper up here when trained by Ben Palling. He won a Listed grade hurdle at Newbury last December.

LIBRAN was a handicapper in the north as a 3-y-o and won a big handicap at the 2015 York Ebor meeting.

BIG DUKE ran up here in 2015-16.

To round off, the likely favourite BRIMHAM ROCKS was a useful staying handicapper last summer and any ease in the ground will help as he won at Haydock and Hamilton on soft ground. He was trained by Ralph Beckett and ended up winning a Class 2 2800m handicap at York last October.

The Epsom looks very tricky and the one here could be D'ARGENTO.

Meanwhile at Caulfield Charlie Appleby runs BLAIR HOUSE in the Underwood. He's not run since finishing down the field in the Dubai Turf on World Cup night at the end of March but he had won the Group 1 Jebel Hatta on the Trials afternoon three weeks before so he's no slouch and if he can come up fresh for his first run back he's got a significant chance.

US NAVY FLAG runs for Coolmore in Saturday's Everest at Randwick. He hasn't run since winning the July Cup in midsummer which was a huge achievement.

There are concerns over the ground at Randwick and to be honest US NAVY FLAG wants a sound surface - I've no idea as to whether he will be good enough. It doesn't look a stellar field and REDZEL doesn't seem in the same form as last year.

The European campaign in the Australian spring gathers pace tomorrow. I've mentioned US NAVY FLAG in the Everest but I think the ground has gone against him - all his form over here is on fast ground.

Much better conditions at Caulfield where JUNGLE CAT goes in the Toorak over 1600m. This is as far as he has ever gone but he's been given a decent draw in stall 4 and he must have a chance in what looks a very chewy handicap.

BENBATL, the horse who will end WINX's unbeaten record (apparently) debuts in the 2000m Ladbrokes Stakes. He was fifth to ROARING LION in the Juddmonte and that's as good as anything on offer here and BLAIR HOUSE is presumably to help with pace making. CLIFFS OF MOHER, or THE CLIFFSOFMOHER, as he has been renamed, was last seen when third to ROARING LION in the Eclipse and there's not a lot between him and BENBATL on that. He won over further as a 3-y-o but connections always thought of him as a 2000m horse.

In the Group 2 Herbert Power over 2400m YUCATAN, A PRINCE OF ARRAN and PRIZE MONEY run under British trainers. YUCATAN isn't drawn that well but I've always thought Australian racing would suit. PRINCE OF ARRAN (with an A at the front to help the Aussies) would want further while PRIZE MONEY hasn't got a lot of miles on the clock.

Both JUNGLE CAT and US NAVY FLAG disappointed in their big races but there was plenty of good news for the Europeans over the longer trips.

BENBATL won the Ladbrokes leading home a Godolphin 1-2 with BLAIR HOUSE second and THE CLIFFSOFMOHER fourth. I doubt it's Cox Plate winning form if WINX turns up on her form but I'm sure he'll improve and goes there with a chance.

I was really impressed with YUCATAN in the Herbert Power. He's a horse that has always promised a lot and it might simply be the Australian style of racing suits. He beat BRIMHAM ROCKS who had run second in the Metropolitan but did it comfortably. He's 10/1 for the Melbourne Cup and that looks a big price if he can reproduce this form.