The stage was now set for the 2001 Cox Plate. In typical style, Sunline led the field to the home turn, but – unlike the previous two years, when she raced clear in the straight – the Sydney three-year-old Viscount refused to give in, while Northerly loomed wider on the track. Nearing the line, the three horses buffeted one another on several occasions, and, while Northerly narrowly edged past Sunline and Viscount, the roughhouse conclusion to the race sparked three separate protests – second (Sunline) against first (Northerly) and third (Viscount) against first and second. After lengthy deliberations, stewards dismissed all three protests, and Northerly controversially retained the race. Nonetheless, Northerly had had an outstanding campaign, and the Cox Plate was his fourth win in-a-row.