Roi d'Jeu can stay handy and has Jason Waddell to put him in the right place and nurse him through his 59kg, which is his biggest issue.
But after a gallant second to headliner Veyron over 1600m at Te Rapa last start, Roi d'Jeu is entitled to near favouritism today.
He is known as an extreme stayer - he was placed in the 3200m New Zealand Cup - but has form at the shorter distances.
He has won over 2000m, back in October 2010, at Te Rapa.
This is not his grand final and the top weight may become an issue, but he has class and form on his side.
"Every shower of rain that falls will be in his favour," said trainer Ritchie.
"I know at times his form can be patchy, but he is in good shape at the moment."
The ability to sit on the pace is probably going to be important.
Chettak's overall form is similarly sometimes difficult to follow, but he is well up to winning this race.
So Is Ted'll Do. In his last start the winner was Sunday's City of Auckland Cup victor Single Minded.
In Race 6, Selador won well a few days ago under 55kg and with Alex Forbes this time claiming 3kg will carry less weight against the same class.
* Hastings trainer John Bary says one day The Hombre will put his head down and do everything right and it will be worth watching.
Sunday would have been a good day to start.
The Hombre was the only one to make a race of it with classy Australian sprinter Atomic Force in the $200,000 Blandford Lodge Railway, a race in which the visitor was fired in at the weights.
The Hombre might be 5 now and the veteran of 26 starts, but Bary reckons the winner of nearly $300,000 has a brain half that age.
"It's going to be something pretty good to watch when he does everything right," said Bary yesterday.
The Hombre did more than a little right in the Railway for a horse whose primary form has been at middle distances.
Few horses could win a Grand Prix in Brisbane then be competitive in a race as short as the 1200m Railway.
Bary will head to Melbourne in a few days to check on the progress of Horse of the Year Jimmy Choux, who arrived back in Australia from Hong Kong last night.
Jimmy Choux, who competed in the Hong Kong Mile two weeks ago, has a further two weeks in a quarantine station at Werribee.
"We've discussed a few options for him, but we won't know where we are until I've had a look at him.
"He'll be pleased to see some grass when he gets to Australia."
Bary said Jimmy Choux banged a leg in Hong Kong, but is over the problem now.
* The Ellerslie Christmas carnival is over, heading now to the Karaka Million and the Derby meeting.
What did we learn?
* Well, if the Melbourne Cup is the greatest race in this part of the world - in the entire world for this writer - we have to be looking for a horse, or horses, we can get in the race.
Shez Sinsational looms as a real possibility and Green Supreme might be starting from a fair way behind the Taranaki mare, but he's not too far away off the horizon.
Their Ellerslie wins were as good as anything at the carnival.
Sadly, our stayers overall are woeful ... nearly as bad as Australia's.
* We said 10 days ago that Silent Achiever was the sleeper coming into the meeting.
Boy, did she prove that. Roger James has an outstanding filly on his hands - yet again.
* There is mounting pressure on Burgundy to win his next start. Rider Matt Cameron has no doubts he will.
* Among the male 3-year-olds, Ocean Park is starting to really shine. His Guineas placing was stunning.
* The Newmarket Handicap has forever lost its title of lead-up to the Railway. It's merely a consolation.
* Freedom is a youngster with a future to be defined, but the best may be seen as a 3-year-old next season.
* Find a decent track for Zurella. A bit of mental maturity wouldn't hurt.
