"I think he is showing signs he will handle it now," says Elliot. "And obviously it is weight-for-age, whereas a race like the Thorndon would have been set weights and penalties.
"He has come through Trentham really well and I am happy with him.
"So we will make the trip most of the way north to Graeme Rogerson's stables, stay the night there and then head to Ellerslie on the day."
That leaves Elliot with another choice, as the only other time Rock On Wood has been to Ellerslie she brought him north herself in a trailer float so his pony mate could tag along.
"I think that will depend on how much room Graeme has in his transporter whether the pony gets to come along to the races this time," she says with a smile.
Rock On Wood is a welcome addition to the Zabeel Classic as he joins previous Herbie Dyke victors Tiptronic and On The Rocks as the only other Group 1 winners in the race, with the absent Melody Belle and Avantage having dominated the 1600-2000m Group 1 space here in the last two seasons.
The step up in distance and its likely more sedate tempo should give jockey Ryan Elliot, Leanne's son, the option of settling Rock On Wood handier to the speed than he usually finds himself over 1400m and 1600m.
Elliot was able to use him earlier last start when he was trapped wide in the Captain Cook and the fact he was able to do that and still go clear suggests he has developed the strength to compliment his finishing kick.
That option for Elliot, coupled with drawing barrier three, suggest he should be outright favourite come Saturday, a position he shared at $4.20 with Concert Hall when the market opened.
They sat just inside the $4.40 on offer for Supera, who is reaching the crunch stage of her career as she is in foal so is running out of Group 1 opportunities.
While the Zabeel Classic is the highlight of the annual Boxing Day mega meeting has attracted some great clashes with plenty of emphasis on emerging talents in the juvenile and three-year-old ranks.
