Confirmation that Hartnell would run in the Cox Plate was like buying your own present and still being excited when you unwrap it on Christmas morning.

It was the path everyone expected Godolphin would choose but one that has still been met with much jubilation when it was announced.

In a time when racing's image has been shadowed by cobalt appeals and Danny Nikolic's latest sitting at VCAT, finally the game can beat its chest about a moment that should showcase why we love it.

Winx's attempt to win back-to-back Cox Plates was always going to generate plenty of interest on its own but the race will go to another level now that Hartnell is locked in.

Godolphin made the announcement at a press conference at Flemington on Thursday, with Australian managing director Henry Plumptre suggesting the health of Scottish helped make their decision to target the Cox Plate with Hartnell.

"There is no particular reason over and above the fact that we think it is a nice race for him, he is going very well over a-mile-and-a-quarter, he is settling in his races," he said.

"Someone mentioned to me yesterday that we left him in the Caulfield Cup at the last acceptance stage and we did that in case something went wrong with Scottish this week, but it was purely to see if he gets over his trip okay.

"John Ferguson didn't think there was much point running Sheikh Mohammed's best European stayer against his best Aussie stayer in the Caulfield Cup and wanted to split them up.

"Depending on what happens in the Cox Plate we will see what happens in that race before deciding whether he goes on to the Melbourne Cup." racing.com