Northerly foils Silvano and Sunline

Northerly gets home to win a dramatic race

Northerly foiled German raider Silvano's bid to head the Emirates World Series table in a dramatic Carlton Draught Cox Plate in Melbourne.

Silvano could only manage fourth at at Moonee Valley as the Australian leg of the series went to the 5-2 second favourite, trained by Fred Kersey.

Northerly thwarted the chances of a historic third successive Plate victory for Sunline by beating the New Zealand mare by three-quarters of a length.

The youngest challenger in the field, three-year-old Viscount, was a further long head back in third in a rough climax to the 10-furlong event.

She tried her guts out but we had no answer to the winner

Sunline jockey Greg Childs

Connections of the winner had to withstand a lengthy stewards' inquiry - the officials deliberated for about 45 minutes - before the result was confirmed.

The inquiry came after Sunline's jockey Greg Childs objected to Northerly, ridden by Damien Oliver, who appeared to drift right causing Childs to snatch up his mount

Meanwhile, Viscount's jockey Kerrin McEvoy protested against both after being sandwiched close home.

With television cameras beaming the full inquiry onto the giant screen in front of the packed stands, the 38,081-strong crowd were enthralled by events in the stewards' room.

Officials agreed that while interference had occurred, it was not enough to alter the placings and dismissed the protest, allowing the result to stand.

Sunline, the 18-10 favourite, had attempted to make all in her bid for the hat-trick but just could not prevail.

After the eighth leg of the World Series, Silvano was in third place on 15 points three adrift of the joint-leaders Fantastic Light and Galileo.

The leaders contest the ninth and 10th stages - the Breeders' Cup Turf and Classic respectively - at Belmont Park on Saturday.