KEY POINTS:
The field for tonight's Victoria Cup was decided four days ago, but exactly who will turn up for the great race at Moonee Valley is still in doubt.
Not that any late withdrawals are expected - it is just that after the last month trying to predict which version of each superstar horse turns up for tonight's race is almost impossible.
Every key player goes into the mobile 2570m event with at least one major question mark over their valuable heads.
About the only thing certain is that Miracle Mile runner-up Melpark Major will start favourite from barrier one.
He was enormous after sitting three wide for much of the Miracle Mile three weeks ago and back on his home track, over a longer distance, he is clearly the horse to beat.
But even he faces a dilemma - barrier one, with his questionable gate speed.
If Melpark Major can hold the lead, or at worse, the trail, he should go very close to winning.
But if he gets crossed the race is rife with possible scenarios. And questions.
Will the Blacks A Fake of the last three seasons turn up tonight or the mere shadow of a champ who we saw at Harold Park three weeks ago?
Will we see the New Zealand Cup-winning Changeover or the expensive disaster who dropped out to finish a forlorn last in the Miracle Mile?
Can Gotta Go Cullen find some luck to get back to his Auckland Cup-winning form? Is Divisive quite as potent over distances past 2400m?
For all the questions, Divisive has the draw to be the biggest danger to Melpark Major.
He is still on the way up, was second in the Interdominion Final here in March and will be close to the pace tonight.
Blacks A Fake, at his best, would be the horse to beat even from the outside of the second line but he was so poor in the Miracle Mile he drifted to $7 on the New Zealand TAB this week.
He will need to be at his peak to win but trainer-driver Natalie Rasmussen is far chirpier this week than she has been before other races this season.
"I am forgetting about the last month.
"His work is good now and he will get his chance," says Rasmussen.
That leaves the two star Kiwis, Changeover and Gotta Go Cullen.
At his best Changeover can win but he was so bad in the Miracle Mile few punters are going to want to jump on him. But he did convince trainer Geoff Small to start him with a brilliant workout on Tuesday morning.
"That was as good as he has worked all season so we are starting to feel a lot better," said Small.
"With the concerns we have had I think his second line draw isn't a bad thing. He can settle and then David [Butcher, driver] can see how he feels."
Gotta Go Cullen has been luckless in the past six weeks and is drawn behind Melpark Major, so if the favourite holds the lead he comes right into the race. But like so many things tonight, that comes with a big "if".
