Duffman, that's a bit rough on PJC. The presumption that if he watched the race he has no clue about racing, PJC knows his sh.it. People can watch and interpret races differently, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, but if an interpretation doesn't agree with your own, you can't knock a bloke like that when previously he's proven himself to be cluey-er (sic) than many on here.

It was a moderate class of race, he never threatened the winner at his first try in city grade, on face value that casts doubt over him in the top class.
Granted, the way the race at Flemington was run, the way the track was playing that day and the impossible position DD was asked to overcome - he ran home really nicely and should not have lost any fans on that effort. Are there issues with his feet? Did he not appreciate the firmness of the track?

Also any current opinion of him over 2040m is opinion only, much like it was with Weekend Hussler - the Duke's devastating sprint we've seen him unfurl before may not be anywhere near as effective if his stamina is stretched too far, if he doesn't have the time to balance up and let rip because of a short straight... on that basis, it is not unreasonable for anyone to doubt his ability over a mile and a quarter. Just because a horse is an impressive swooper over the short courses, doesn't mean he's looking for extra distance

I like the horse a lot, really, but I do slightly lean towards PJC's corner, the wraps on Daintree Duke are extensive, over the top, and the confidence in which he's being tipped to develop into a G1 galloper (and for Cox Plate no less) by people seemingly across the board, leaves me slightly questioning where exactly their supremely confident opinion is coming from and why they think it's justified.

Maybe because Sheila saying he's the best horse she's ridden? Because of a couple ultra impressive wins in the country? The unlucky performance on one of our biggest days of racing? It'll at least be interesting to see whether or not he lives up to the hype, because right now imo that's where most of the push for him is coming from. Hype horses come and go, let's hope he's one of the few who lives up to it

you would have to load up on all the good ... the way he destroyed the emirates field

3 group ones doesnt equate to 40 mil in my books. regualry got beat by horses regarded as a lot worse than it. never seen a horse keep comin out fav after gettin beat so many previous starts last spring. good horse dont get me wrong but 40 mil price tag is a joke. i rate the miss well above it atm