The W S Cox Plate produces all the longing, striving, seeking, waiting, and yearning you could possibly ask for in a horse race.

It has been running at Moonee Valley since 1922 and is billed as “the greatest two minutes in sport”. It rarely fails to live-up to this proud boost to “equine immortality”; even when it walks through a storm – rapidly approaching from the west.

The Valley (the former Feehan’s farm by the freeway) is an excruciatingly tight and tricky track with Strathay all-weather surface around its 1,805 meter circumference and a straight of only 173 meters. The track rises 5.5m from 800m to post. The $3 million Cox Plate is a classic weight-for-age Group 1 contest over 2,040 meters.

There has been a good deal of conjecture about the future of the Moonee Valley course since Lindsay Maxsted produced his review of the Melbourne metropolitan racing clubs. It is to be totally redeveloped to take advantage of its obvious real estate development potential.

The rest is history. Craig Williams gave the 4-year-old bay mare a pearler of a ride that netted a winner's cheque of $1.8m and trophies valued at $50,000. The massive haul for her sixth win in 16 starts brought Pinker Pinker's earnings to $2,511,868.

She has also been placed four times and picked up further prizemoney from two fourth placings and two fifths. All of which points to the sheer enjoyment and remarkable financial return Pinker Pinker has provided for Eurell and his owner clients, David and Carol Gazdowicz.

They found Pinker Pinker at the 2009 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale and bought her from the draft of Milford Thoroughbreds for $120,000.

A Cox Plate triumph was "as good as it gets" for Eurell. He is entitled to view Pinker Pinker as a greater success story, having taken her as a yearling, breaking her in, and guiding her to her first win as a late two-year-old at Sandown, in July last year.

Eurell gave Pinker Pinker two chances in the autumn to test her stamina beyond 1600m. She ran fourth in the Group I Storm Queen Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill and third in the Group I ATC Oaks (2400m) at Randwick.

Pinker Pinker came to the Cox Plate off a second placing to Secret Admirer, a mare by Darley Stud stallion Dubawi, in the Group I Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick (taking the same path as Sunline, fourth in the 1999 Epsom then to Cox Plate victory).

Sharing in the victory was Darley Stud's Northwood Park resident Reset, and covering at present at a fee of $16,500. The Australian’s thoroughbred breeding expert Tony Arrold informs us Reset, by Zabeel from Zeditave's Group I-winning Assertive Lass, joined the Darley roster after an outstanding unbeaten three-year-old season.

In his fourth of five starts, Reset won the Group I VRC Australian Guineas. Then he went to Caulfield to master older horses in the Group I Futurity Stakes in a career finale.

Bred by B. Givaas and C. Gordon of Victoria, Pinker Pinker is from Reset's second foal crop, and is the second foal of Miss Marion, a four-time Melbourne winner by Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Success Express (by Hold Your Peace).

Miss Marion is from a family active for some time in Western Australia and which has Group I juvenile winner Golden Unicorn as its major performer. Miss Marion has recently delivered a colt to Darley's young Lonhro horse Denman. God bless them all.

THE JOCKEY

The ride was a repeat of his Caulfield Cup-winning ride on Southern Speed the previous Saturday when he only went round one horse to send the mare forward for her win. This time, he used the same tactics on another four-year-old mare, trained by Greg Eurell at Cranbourne.

While the $2.80 favourite Helmet and Kerrin McEvoy took the field through to the back straight, Williams was content to settle in mid-field. Up front Helmet was allowed to run along with Lion Tamer (NZ) and Hugh Bowman in second with Kings Rose (NZ) and Luke Nolan and Jimmy Choux (NZ) and Jonathan Riddell following.

The field headed for the 600m under lights with a storm rapidly approaching from the west turning early evening into night. Still Helmet held sway at the front but the field started to pack.

Lion Tamer went up to pressure the three-year-old Helmet and the rest fanned out, except for Williams who accepted the wide spaces the rest had left going wide. He rapidly sent Pink Pinker forward and suddenly they were right behind the leaders.

Helmet felt the pressure with 225m to run and Lion Tamer could not go forward with tragic results past the line when the 2010 Group 1 Victorian Derby winner faltered and had to be put down.

Jonathan Riddell saw his opportunity on Jimmy Choux and he quickly went for the lead. Jimmy Choux went out with 1L to spare and looked likely, but Williams was right behind him having gone around only the tiring Helmet.

The Big Pink, with 55.5kg and smart enough to be second in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap over 1600 at Randwick on October 1st, sprinted after Jimmy Choux with his 57.5kg. With 100m to run Pinker Pinker reached Jimmy Choux and then went past. With 50m to run the mare was 1/2L ahead and at the line the line that margin was 11/4L.

The win was an upset with Pinker Pinker paying $20.30 on STAB and $31 on TAB Sportsbet Fixed Odds, but it was comprehensive.

Jimmy Choux (Thorn Park) maintained second with Rekindled Interest (Redoute's Choice) and Dwayne Dunn came into third, the margin a half-head. Wall Street (NZ) was fourth and Secret Admirer fifth.

The time was 2.05.39 on the Dead 4 track with the final 600m in 36.62.

“It's hard to absorb at the moment, it's really got to me. It is a great experience,” said Eurell.

“We spoke to Craig yesterday afternoon and as typical as Craig is, he had it worked out to the minute what we would like to do and went through the whole race. He was very confident.

“I was very, very happy with the way she led into this, this mare, all the way through. You always have little hiccups, that create a problem and you don't like to see but she just had nothing go wrong. She led into this absolutely perfect.

“Craig came down Tuesday morning and she worked terrific Tuesday morning and everything just balanced out really well.

“It's funny how things work out. We were at the Inglis Sales walking around and we ran into David and Carrol and they had a couple of horses picked out that they wanted me to have a look at and I had a look at her and she was the one we wanted. Fortunately, we got her and just went on from there,” he said.

“It's a great thrill. I came out and walked the track in between the races today and I said 'have a look at this fantastic crowd, I'd be disappointed if they didn't all turn up because we've seen some champion racehorses here today,” said Williams.

“The top three-year old Manawanui, last year's Melbourne Cup winner Americain and we also saw Black Caviar. But today, Pinker Pinker deserves to win the race. She was great.

“We worked her during the week, on the Tuesday. Greg just asked me to run a certain time with her and I just come in and I was blowing, not the horse, and said 'she's flying Greg'.

“Great effort. I was very lucky with a sit on her and when I asked her to be really tough in between horses she was game and when she came out I thought 'now we've got to chase down Jimmy Choux' but once I gave her a little bit of a reminder and asked her to extend she was never going to be in doubt. She won with ease and she just gave me a beautiful ride.

“I made sure that I took a good mental note in the last minute, there were a couple of horses that were a little bit unsettled in the gate but she was great and she was relaxed.

“We got into a nice position and when the run presented itself I asked her to be really tough and game, I didn't even have to close my eyes, she just gritted her teeth and she was awesome today.

“There's nothing better. This crowd is fantastic and this is the time year when everyone is working really hard to get the results. For me, I'm lucky I've got my number one fan club here, my children at home, Victor, Helena and Oliver,” he said.

“Close but no cigar,” said John Bary, trainer of Jimmy Choux.

“It was a great race, good ride. A real good ride and he gave us every chance and we just ran into one a bit quicker at the end.

“He has done us proud, for me, my family, my staff and for the country, so we can hold our head high.

“I dared to think that 200m from home I had it, but as I say Pinker Pinker just got past us. Hey, second in a Cox Plate still a good result,” he said.

Bray said that Jimmy Choux would remain in Melbourne with a possible run in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes over 1600m on the final day of the carnival and Hong Kong after that race.

THE RECKONING

Quadraphonic sound (four speakers) was a momentarily popular IT distraction when your correspondent was in the process of spending his misspent yoof on sex and drugs and rock‘n’roll (you had to be there to appreciate it).

Quadrophenia was a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who (that’s a 60s rock group that your grandparents may tell you about if you give them their proper medication).

Quadrellas are a fiendish wagering device invented by the Victorian TAB to wean trifecta tragics off the hard stuff (it is like the methadone you give to heroin addicts when they want come off the hard stuff); but twice as addictive.

Quaddieholics are former trifecta tragics who are stuck between two rocks and two hard places. They can not go forward, backward or sideways. They are condemned to spending the rest of their lives playing the numbers racket; and moving in ever-diminishing squares. They are the wretched of the earth. You should feel sorry for them. I do.

So here we go again:

R6: 1 4 6

R7: 2 3 6 9 12

R8: 4 5 9 13 14

R9: 1 3 4

The Quaddie was 1 – 9 – 11 – 7. It paid a ridiculous amount of money that I choose not to recall. I am trapped in a deadly four-legged spider’s web and it is killing me. Should I call the gambling hotline; or the Federal member for Franklin?

I have become like Prometheus in ancient Greece,  I feel bound to a rock while a great eagle eats my liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day. Why do you forsake me so?

Solace (and divine guidance to the Big Cup) will surely be given to those who attend the annual racing fraternity mass with me at St Francis’ Church, 326 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, at 9am on Sunday, October 30. Even Protestants attend if they know what’s good for them.

That's the way it's gonna be little darlin', we'll be riding on the horses yeah yeah
Way up in the sky little darli-in', and if you fall I'll pick you up, pick you up...

That's the way it's gonna be little darlin' (be little darlin')
You'll go riding on the horses yeah yeah
Way up in the sky little darlin' (in the sky-y little darlin')
Oh, and if you fall I'll pick you up, pick you up

That's the way it's gonna be little darlin' (be little darlin')
You'll go riding on the horses yeah yeah
Way up in the sky little darlin' (in the sky-y little darlin')
And if you fall I'll pick you up, pick you u-up

That's the way it's gonna be little darlin'
You'll go riding on the horses yeah yeah
(Pick you up darlin' if you fall) Way up in the sky little darlin'
(Don't you worry 'bout a thi-ing little girl)
And if you fall I'll pick you up, I'll pick you up
(Beca)

I must apologise on behalf of the Moonee Valley Racing Club for the continual repetition of this vacuous tosh on Cox Plate Day – just because the song, about a bird who flies away, mentions horses. Daryl’s voice couldn’t reach the high notes (could it ever?); and both horse and rider should be put down to save further embarrassment. It should be replaced by Yellow Bird; a traditional Haitian folk song (popularised by band leader Edmundo Ros – who died last week aged 100). It is much better IMO:

Edmundo Ros’ Yellow Bird

Yellow bird,
Up high in banana tree,
Yellow bird,
You sit all alone like me

Did your lady frien',
Leave de nest again?
Dat is very sad,
Make me feel so bad,
You can fly away,
In the sky away,
You're more lucky dan me.

Yellow bird,
Up high in banana tree,
Yellow bird,
You sit all alone like me

I also have a pretty gal,
She not with me today,
Dey all de same
De pretty gal,
Make dem de nest,
Den dey fly away.

Yellow bird,
Up high in banana tree,
Yellow bird,
You sit all alone like me

Wish dat I were a yellow bird,
I fly away wid you,
But I am not a yellow bird,
So here I sit,
Nothin' else to do.

Yellow bird,
Up high in banana tree,
Yellow bird,
You sit all alone like me

Let her fly away,
On de sky away,
Picker coming soon,
Pick from night to noon,
Black and yellow you,
Like banana too,
He might pick you someday.

Yellow bird,
Up high in banana tree,
Yellow bird,
You sit all alone like me

*Horse and Jockey is the fair-dinkum name of a town in the County Tipperary, Ireland. TP Maher comes from a long line of horse thieves and whisperers who once roamed its townlands – finally, they were warned-off by the stewards and moved to Bonegilla in Victoria.