Aeliana performances have become trademarked by being around the mark, but never good enough – that’s the story of this Chris Waller trained mare.

In a conversation praising the likes of Cosmic Crusader and Birdman, it was Aeliana who became the subject of discussion.

“I'm sick of hearing about her … overrated,” Miles Pfitzner said on the Lay Back with Betfair.

“How was she favourite for that race (Champions Stakes)?

“Absolute joke.

“You can lay her with your eyes closed.”

David Gateley, Clint Hutchison and Gareth Hall also discussed this topic on Giddy Up after Aeliana’s winless prep.

Gately: "She is a pretty good horse, she’s just not what we had all hoped I guess.

“She just doesn’t quicken.

“They got the campaign wrong; she probably wins a Caulfield Cup and runs really well in a Melbourne Cup.”

Hutchison: “She has had a few goes against them (weight for age stars), and she has been beaten fair and square a few times.

“She’s competed against them, she has had her chance, and she has been pretty well beaten.”

Hall: “Yes, she is just not as good as everyone thinks she is.”

The consensus is that the five-year-old mare had a disappointing preparation walking away winless after expectations were high.

But how bad truly was the mare’s campaign this spring?

Her return to the track in the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick did not go to plan, finishing last ten lengths off the winner.

Comfortably underline that performance as a poor one.

Then off the back of a four week freshen up she attacked the Group 2 Seven Stakes (Randwick), hitting the line hard for an impressive second.

The key form marker here was being only a length off Autumn Glow, which is unequivocally great form.

It was around this time in the prep that expectations lifted, eying down a Cox Plate and a potential Melbourne Cup back up.

The next step of the campaign saw Aeliana target the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington in what was a Heavy 8.

Besides the winner Cosmic Crusader, the mare had the best of the race hitting the line hard for a minor placing.

Another good run once raised expectations for when Aeliana would peak.

At this stage she is 0/3 this prep, with a pair of minor placings on the trot, you cannot help but be optimistic for the weight for age contender.

She looked ripe for the Ladbrokes Cox Plate – and the Flemington edition of the great race was only going to suit.

Aeliana presented like the winner at the clocktower but was overrun by a fast-finishing Cosmic Crusader and Birdman.

Once again, she ran well, but not good enough.

So, in the Group 1 Champions Stakes on the last day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, this was Aeliana’s last chance to prove she was good enough.

And once again, punters were met with a strong run from Aeliana, but she never looked like a winning hope.

She exits a spring campaign that many were hopeful of with no wins, three placings, and a 4/5 of decent runs.

It is fair to say whilst Aeliana is a solid horse, she can no longer be in the conversation of the best weight for age horses in the country.