Aidan O'Brien, the trainer responsible for the Coolmore team in Europe, is above all a horseman. He talks of his first Cox Plate runner, Adelaide, with an insight into the ability and achievements of the galloper.
"He has never disappointed and just cruised his way through until he started racing," O'Brien said.
"And then when he started racing obviously we noticed he had a very high cruising speed. He travelled very well and had a very low action, so he was going to handle fast ground. When we travelled him he showed he had a great constitution. He has held his coat well and is an easy horse to handle."
Adelaide, just a three-year-old to northern time, is O'Brien's first runner in Australia since the Melbourne Cup in 2008 when his three starters tailed in the field. He was recalled by stewards to Flemington for an inquiry after he had already left for the airport. O'Brien will not be trackside this year, but said he had been looking for the right horse to send here since 2008.
"The horses that you have, play your hand," he said. "Every year you don't have the same horses ... [a Cox Plate runner] needs to have the right profile."
Adelaide has only had seven starts in a career that started at Leopardstown on Cox Plate day last year. He has won thrice and been placed the other four times, but has never raced out of his age group.
His debut at Leopardstown was on testing ground as the less fancied of two Coolmore runners in a race over a mile. He was too strong and the margin was 2-1/2 lengths.
It started an adventure that reaches it fourth country and third continent at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Adelaide was always considered highly at Ballydoyle, his second run was as favourite in Prix Hocquart, a lead-up to the French Derby where he settled for the runners-up prize. By this time Coolmore Australia's Tom Magnier had seen the elegant colt and thought he might be a chance to chase the Cox Plate they had missed out on when Atlantic Jewel was retired on the eve of the classic a year ago.
"It is hard to get a horse that we think could fit the right profile," O'Brien said. "Tom saw this horse at an early stage and he just thought he could be a horse to do that.
"Tom has been big influence. It is one your biggest races. Obviously we have always been aware of it and I have been guided by Tom and what he thought.
"It is a long way to go and you have to have a horse that you believe could be very competitive ... this horse has continued to develop."
His third run was another easy win at the Curragh in the Gallinule Stakes at group 3 over 2000 metres before he was runner-up in the King Edward VII Stakes, which is known as the Royal Ascot. That was over 2400m but he would drop back to 2000m in the US where he was runner-up in the Belmont Derby Invitational and then won the Secretariat Stakes at Chicago's Arlington Park.
"There is no doubt he is up with the better three-year-olds, the horse is progressing and we think he will progress more."
The Chicago win made Moonee Valley a realistic target. It is a tight turf track, racing left-handed like the Cox Plate. Adelaide idled but won by 1-1/2 lengths.
He returned to Longchamp for his northern farewell and was beaten 1-1/2 lengths into third by Ectot in the Prix Niel, group 2 for three-year-olds over 2400m. The winner had stolen a break while Adelaide could not get a clear run from the 400m to the 200m, leaving him too much ground to make up.
"He was a little bit unlucky and was finishing well," O'Brien said.
So for the first time Adelaide races out of his age group, will have to overcome barrier 13 and on an unseen track. There is also the drop back from 2400m to 2040m.
"He probably gets it [2400m] but the mile-and-a-quarter suits him better," O'Brien said.
"The mile-and-a-quarter on a tight track didn't seemed to be a problem for him [at Arlington]. The only thing about him is when he goes he is a little bit idle. We might not want to get there [to the front] too early with him, but I suppose on a tight track that is not an easy thing to do."
