Replay more enjoyable than the live show as Winx scares the life out of us

Hugh Bowman's words were wallpapered with relief. "I'm looking forward to watching the replay," he says, seconds after scaring the living daylights out of us. Good news, Hugh, the replay will be much more enjoyable than the live show.

We can now all enjoy the replay safe in the knowledge history has been made. The winning sequence goes on. Kingston Town's Cox Plate hat-trick has been repeated. Black Caviar's 15 Group 1 wins have been equalled. Makybe Diva's salary has been surpassed. Australia's latest legend lives on. We can enjoy it now. We'll all be relaxed watching the replay. Even you, Hugh.

It was all too predictable, wasn't it?

She won the race by the widest winning margin of all time in 2016. She laughed at six-time Group 1 winner Highland Reel when she won it in 2015. She was back to her breathtaking best in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington earlier this month and Bowman and trainer Chris Waller both said she was better than ever heading back to Moonee Valley. Nothing to see here, history would be made with the minimum of fuss.

But think about it. Would Home Alone have been worth watching if Kevin's folks had spotted their son was missing before their flight took off? Would you have enjoyed Notting Hill as much if Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant snogged in the first scene? Sometimes we all know the ending, but that does not stop us from being utterly enthralled throughout the film.

This particular flick almost turned into a horror movie half a furlong out. Winx was there to be shot at by Blake Shinn on Humidor. Her traditional kick on the home turn had not sling-shotted her into an unassailable lead. She was being closed on quickly. The happy ending was in danger. Oh, we of little faith.

Bowman hit Winx only once. It was all she needed.

"She's a champion and she pulled out all the stops," said Shinn, rider of the runner-up, who ran a most remarkable race.

The sell-out crowd got what they came to see. Among that crowd was Pamela Lawlor from Fethard in County Tipperary and her boyfriend Darren White from Kilbride in Meath.

They're both Irish but have been living and working in Sydney for the last two years. The Group 2 Crystal Mile is in full flow on the main track but Lawlor and White don't care that Lucky Husslar has scooted clear to be one of the most impressive winners of the day.

Everybody wanted a look at Winx before the Cox PlateCredit: Vince Caligiuri

They didn't fork out $200 each on flights and double that on accommodation to watch a Group 2. They were interested only in Winx and have sneaked out to the calm surroundings of the pre-parade ring to get up close and personal with the wondermare.

"We booked our trip around Winx," they say in unison, with Lawlor adding: "I suppose the only horse you could compare her with is Frankel, but she might even be better than him. We had to come. There will be some buzz out there in a few minutes."

Our chat continues as Winx swings around us over and over again. She smiles for every smartphone. She doesn't turn a hair. She's as relaxed as a Rennie tablet.

"It's funny, I used to work at Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley and her half-sister was there," says Lawlor. "She was only a foal but she had this strut. She was walking around like she owned the place yet she was only very young. It was like she almost knew she was related to a superstar."

The bookies don't care about superstars. They care about super profits, and Matthew Palmer is not one bit happy about the lack of trade in the Cox Plate.

It is less than 15 minutes before the off and you could play a good game of cricket in the main betting ring. Nobody wants to have a bet, they all just want to watch.

"Winx is a disaster for us," says Palmer. "We've barely taken a bet on the race. We took in ten times as much money in the previous race than we've got in for the Cox Plate. I would rather the race was wide open than seeing Winx in it."

Thankfully Palmer's thoughts do not reach the stands. Every seat is taken. A standing spot is hard to see. They're all here to witness history being made. Seldom has a crowd been so expectant.

Winx got there in the end. We got our happy ending. We always knew there'd be one. Getting there was scarier than we thought, though.

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