KEY POINTS:
Sir Slick's trainer Graeme Nicholson and Xcellent's trainer Paul Moroney agree on one thing - and it's not whether Xcellent can be beaten in today's $200,000 Zabeel Classic.
At Te Rapa last Saturday the pair had an earnest discussion about the 4kg weight turnaround in favour of Sir Slick compared with when he was comfortably beaten by Xcellent at Ellerslie three weeks ago.
They agreed that at this level, 4kg is a large amount of weight.
Nicholson believes it's almost enough to make the difference this time.
"Only two lengths separated them last time and it's a big jump in our favour this time," said Nicholson.
"Most people don't realise how much 4kg means to these horses," Paul Moroney says.
By 6.30 tonight we should know.
If Xcellent fulfils expectations today he could be a step closer to contesting the world's richest race, the US$6 million ($7.9 million) Dubai World Cup (2000m) on March 29.
"We have the race marked," Moroney said.
A complicating factor, however, was equine influenza in Australia.
Moroney said Dubai authorities were not accepting horses from Australia at this point but that position could change.
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NZPA
