One of the most important parts of any thoroughbred's preparation for any race is the trackwork rider and the man in the hot-seat aboard The Everest contender Deploy gave the horse the seal of approval after the main lead-up gallop on Tuesday.
Blake Ryan, son of the gelding's trainer Gerald was atop Deploy in his gallop with stablemate Magic Alibi and the pair went to the line head and head after running the last 600m on the course proper in a sharp 34.04 seconds.
"He's worked as good as he does," Blake Ryan said. "He's a horse you have to keep interested in his work but he was pretty good today.
"No blinkers, heavy shoes, 20 kilos on his mate and not many run that time out there.
"I think I've only seen them go quicker twice in 10 years. He's ready."
With the horse's work on the track in order, both the trainer and slot owner, Chris Waller believe Deploy has the right attributes to make a genuine fist of it in Saturday's big sprint.
Deploy goes into the race with rare credentials, having broken the course record on Saturday's 1200m circuit when winning first-up in the Group III Show County Quality before backing up that effort with another track record win in the Group II Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill.
"He tries so hard," Gerald Ryan said. "He's been to the races 16 times and he's won eight of them, he's won his last six on Sydney metropolitan tracks.
"He's very honest and he's stepped up to a new level since he came back from Queensland in the winter.
"Chris (Waller) first spoke to me after the Show County win about running in his slot for The Everest and said, ''He's a winner. That's what you need to win a race like this'. Who am I to argue?"
There's plenty riding on the outcome of the race for Waller as Deploy's slot owner.
Chris Waller Racing and partners are in line for a large slice of the $5.8 million first place prizemoney so victory would mean it's likely that Australia's number one big race trainer would earn more than he would from Winx winning the Cox Plate or one of his horses saluting in Australia's greatest race - the Melbourne Cup.
But this time his input into the preparation stopped when he agreed with the horse's connections that the son of Fastnet Rock would run in the race.
"The build-up for me is different," Waller said. "There's a lot less pressure not having to prepare the horse for the race but there's a lot of money at stake.
"The horse looks outstanding, looks outstanding.
"Gerald's been fantastic, he points out when the horse is working, he sends us updates.
"As a fellow trainer I just leave it up to Gerald, I don't get involved. I've told him don't worry about us, you just do your own thing with him.
"There's an old saying. One man can train 100 horses but two can't train one."
Ryan said a draw for Deploy of between barrier four and eight would be ideal.
