David Hayes has seen the best in the world, Golden Horn, and knew Criterion was back in grade in Saturday's Caulfield Stakes – but he still managed a little jig when he won.
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Criterion, straight out of quarantine, was too strong for Australia's best as he beat Happy Trails and Mongolian Khan, with favourites Kermadec and Fawkner out of the placings.
"He's been racing in the Olympics and he comes back to national championship level here," Hayes said. "It is a told-you-so moment for me. Until you go over there you don't realise how good they are and how big the difference is between their horses and ours. Golden Horn [which won the Arc de Triomphe last week] is a freak and really we should have finished within a length of him last start [in the Juddmonte International].
"That is the best form in the world and the only thing I was worried about was he might have needed the run."
The Caulfield Stakes could prove the strongest form pointer of the spring with the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate favourites coming out of the race.
Criterion is a globetrotting star. He has twice run third in Hong Kong over 2000 metres in the past 12 months as well as winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick and being competitive at Royal Ascot and in the Juddmonte.
Hayes put full faith in his jockey Michael Walker, who devised the plan to be back in the field, second last in fact, and come with one run.
"That was unfinished business for me because I was supposed to ride him in the autumn [when he won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at his last Australian start]," Walker said.
"He just went through his gears and he is only going to get better because he was a little soft for that. I can't wait for the Cox Plate because he is on the way up.
"I went back and let him find his feet and he did the rest, he is a better horse now."
Criterion was made a $5 equal favourite by the TAB with Kermadec, which was fourth on Saturday, for the Cox Plate. Chris Waller said Kermadec might have felt the track.
"He was a little soft in the last 100m but he is going to the Cox Plate to get another crack at the winner," Waller said.
The Cox Plate is two weeks away and the race supplied the Caulfield Cup favourite after Mongolian Khan found the line hard only a half-length and half-head from the winner.
"If they had gone along he would have just about won," jockey Opie Bosson said. "The last 100m he rocketed to the line and if I got clear I don't what might have happened.
"He is tracking perfect for the 2400m next week."
Mongolian Khan was made at $6 favourite by the TAB.
