Punters – proper punters – carry complex, often perplexing perceptions about the world around them. 

For them, good fortune is natural justice and bad fortune utterly intolerable. 

They see order in chaos, truth in turmoil and sometimes sense split second errors as personal attacks. 

And even after final numbers have been semaphored with dividends declared, they deign to know who really ‘should have won’. 

Many of these mercurial beasts believe Im Ready Jet should have claimed the recently staged Great Southern Star Final and Saturday night’s Australian Grand Prix. 

This despite the fact Majestuoso won them both. 

If racing represents one righteous value above all others, it’s the purity of battle. 

Once the mobile rolls, or the barriers break, or the boxes open, opinion and perspective are of little consequence. 

Arguments and debates are, or at least should be, decided purely by results. 

Yet this is rarely the case. 

In their 50 career clashes Novak Djokovic has beaten Roger Federer on 27 occasions, with the Fed Express claiming 23 triumphs of his own; yet most will tell you Roger is the GOAT. 

In Formula One’s heyday Alain Prost held a 54 to 50 advantage over the sadly ill-fated Ayrton Senna; yet most will tell you Senna was superior. 

Leno out-rated Letterman, and the list goes on. 

Right now, Majestuoso and Im Ready Jet are clearly Australia’s two finest trotters. 

And, at time of writing, their head-to-head record is locked at three apiece. 

Critically, however, as was the case with Borg and McEnroe who claimed seven contests apiece with McEnroe dominating their Grand Slam finals, Majestuoso is dominating the battles that matter. 

In truth, it doesn’t matter much which side the fans align with. 

What matters is having sides, having rivalries, having headliners. 

Majestuoso and Im Ready Jet need each other and we need them both. 

Despite his long list of Herculean heroics, champion veteran King Of Swing might still be getting better. 

Saturday night, in the first of two Miracle Mile qualifiers at Tabcorp Park Menangle, Belinda McCarthy’s eight-year-icon sent an ominous message to those standing between him and history. 

Forced to sit parked through a frightening first fraction and a crazy overall speed, King Of Swing simply monstered another Group 1 field. 

And, terrifyingly, he’ll almost certainly improve off the run. 

If he does, and if he wins this weekend’s Miracle Mile, he’ll become the first horse ever to record three victories in Australasia’s ultimate short-course contest. 

Throw in a couple of Hunter Cups and one Blacks A Fake and you’re staring down the barrel of an all-time legend’s resume. 

This may be King Of Swing’s farewell tour, but it’s also very possible he’s saving his best for last.