Hi Bob, have to agree with you, I prefer the old invitation only format but on saying that we could have ended up with two duds like Caribbean Blaster and Mah Sish. I reckon that 3009 metre I.D.Final knocked the stuffing out of most of them ( Mach Alert & ITMQ the exceptions ) ; maybe the I.D final and MM have to be some 6 months or more apart. I suppose it's a balancing act but with the' having to show up to qualify' rules and with the poor record of past Cordina Sprint winners
in the Miracle Mile I see many of the top horses preferring to avoid in the future particularly those from W.A. unless it's an invitation only.