"But barrier two is perfect. He doesn't tend to be really quick away but from there we have a chance of leading or if somebody else is really keen to lead we will be happy enough to sit outside them.
"But he should be handy without doing too much work."
Callsign Mav, who finished second to Catalyst in the Hawke's Bay Guineas last start, has drawn to roll forward again from barrier four while Sherwood Forest looks set to get the rails run after drawing the ace.
He will be ridden by Jason Waddell, with last start winning jockey Troy Harris committed to Catalyst and Leith Innes, who was to have taken the Sherwood Forest ride, suspended.
Not so well treated in the draws is Sarten Memorial winner Harlech, who has barrier 11 and could have a few long odds rivals between him and the other favourites in the middle stages.
As exciting as Catalyst is barrier two wouldn't have put as big a smile on Chipperfield's face if the gelding hadn't handled his first plane trip quite as smoothly as he did yesterday morning.
"He didn't turn a hair," confirms Chipperfield. "You wouldn't even know he had been on a flight and he was straight into his feed."
Harris will fly to Christchurch early today to ride Catalyst in his familiarisation canter around Riccarton and the sometimes weight-challenged jockey looks dialled in for one of the bigger weeks of his career.
Not only does he ride Catalyst but is on Kali in next Saturday's 1000 Guineas.
• While the barrier draw was kind to one of the excitement machines of New Zealand racing for the 2000 Guineas that wasn't the case for Melody Belle in Melbourne where she will chase a group one double in the space of a week.
The wonderful mare confirmed she had bounced through last Saturday's victory in the A$1 million Empire Rose well enough for trainer Jamie Richards to accept for this weekend's A$2m Mackinnon Stakes but her chances have taken a blow by drawing barrier 16.
That will see her start one from the outside in the 2000m final group one race of Melbourne Cup week and while it is hardly a vintage Mackinnon there will be plenty of hardened racing warriors between her and the Flemington rail, with her task to possibly be made tougher as that rail tends to move out as the week progresses. Her draw continued a trend of New Zealand-trained horses drawing poorly in the richest races of the Melbourne spring, including the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and the Cox Plate.
But before the old nonsense about visitor's draws gets bandied about, fellow Waikato gallopers The Bostonian (1) in the A$2m Darley Sprint and Rondinella (barrier two) in the A$300,000 Matriarch Stakes have fared much better, the latter set to clash with former NZ mare Danzdanzdance.
2000 GUINEAS
M6, Riccarton Park, Saturday 3.43pm
$500,000, Class: 3YO, 1600m
1. Catalyst (2) Troy Harris (56.5) $1.20 $1.02
2. Harlech (11) Cameron Lammas (56.5) $12.00 $2.20
3. Callsign Mav (4) Craig Grylls (56.5) $7.50 $1.60
4. Sherwood Forest (1) Jason Waddell (56.5) $12.00 $2.20
5. Aotea Lad (9) Michael McNab (56.5) $51.00 $5.00
6. Run To Perfection (3) Matthew Cameron (56.5) $18.00 $2.70
7. Chuck A Luck (5) Sam Weatherley (56.5) $101 $6.50
8. Zelenski (7) Jason Laking (56.5) $126 $7.50
9.Charlie Awesome (6) Chris Johnson (56.5) $126 $7.50
10. Lightning Jack (8) Rosie Myers (56.5) $201 $11.00
11. All About Magic (10) Lisa Allpress (54.5) $81.00 $6.00
