My guess is they never even contemplated the Cup due to my reasons above. They could have nominated her at any stage throughout the campaign due to the ease in which she was winning and just kept it up their sleeves as an option. OR could have even run after the Cox Plate win. She has sprinting blood on her dam side which may be their concern.
You can say that Shocking is by street cry and won a Melbourne Cup. But Shocking's dam has Danehill/northern Dancer bloodlines and Mkybe Diva has the same bloodllines.
Solicit is also by Street Cry and I know i find it VERY tough to back solicit when it runs a 1600m race. Solicit can run a GREAT 1400 and is perfect at 1500m but it starts to wobble a bit at 1600m and i just can't back the horse at 1600m because it usually goes around as a short priced favourite after running strong 1400 and 1500m's. It can win at 1600 and has, but it often a big query at the distance.
So you can't really take Shocking as an example without taking into consideration the dam which has some distance bloodlines.
I'm just the messenger and the fact that connections didn't even have Winx nominated says a lot or that they have doubts about her staying. You could be and are probably correct about her having a tilt at the Cup, but obviously something is holding Waller and connections back. Given that she had such an easy prep they could have rolled the dice and gone for the Cup. Plenty have done it before including derby winners.
But, i do agree with you in that she had a very soft prep. If there was ever a time it would have been this year as plenty of Cox Plate winners have excelled in the Cup and there has been no more empahatic than Winx's win. Chris Waller is very much about legacy so perhaps next year they may rejig her prep and go the Cox and Melbourne Cup route. The Cox plate will 100% be their aim next year again. The problem is, what would Winx have to carry as a 5yo in a Cup?? The handicapper may deter connections in the long run.
