"It is shaping as one of the most competitive hurdle races of the season and I can see them coming to the second last (fence) with plenty of winning chances.
"But I think I am on the right horse now. He has to be one of the best-weighted horses of the whole jumping season because he has won the Great Northern Hurdle last year and the Waikato Hurdles and is only 1kg above the 65kg minimum."
The Cossack was to have been Phelan's ride in the Hawkes Bay Hurdles a few weeks ago but a blood issue close to the race saw him scratched but the fact the astute stable has put him back in today's race suggests he is over that.
The race is a stunner by New Zealand hurdling standards and it may come down to track conditions, with Hastings rated a slow 8 last night but expected to improve for today.
"Track conditions make such a huge difference in jumps racing because some horses love the wet while the others with more speed prefer it drier, which is what we might get tomorrow."
A drier track than what would have prevailed at Trentham could suit Phelan's Steeplechase ride in Mesmerize.
For a small field, there is some real evenness about today's 5500m event, with Yardarm's 22-length win over Shamal in the Hawkes Bay Steeples on July 3 probably the best dress rehearsal for today.
Regardless of how Thursday pans out for Phelan, he has plenty to celebrate after his partner Elen Nicholas's epic day at Avondale yesterday.
She rode three winners to dominate the card after a brutal last year with a shoulder injury and broken.
"Elen has been through a lot but she has really stuck with it so all of us are so proud of what she achieved today (Wednesday) and thrilled for her," says Phelan of the Welsh-born apprentice.
"The only problem is she might show me up. I am not sure I can beat her performance."
