KEY POINTS:
Punters are happy to take the $1.30 about Xcellent for tomorrow's $100,000 Trentham Stakes - and TAB bookies are happy to keep offering it.
It would take a massive amount of money to get the TAB to shorten those odds and Xcellent looks pretty good value at that.
"We think that's about his right price," says head TAB bookmaker Paul Lally.
There don't appear to be too many traps.
In the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie last start there was always the possibility Xcellent may have been giving the leader Sir Slick too big a start from the 400m and so it proved.
This time there is no possible scenario whereby any of the runners can go slow enough to dull Xcellent's brilliant finishing sprint.
The speed should be on in this race and even if it's not, there is nowhere to hide at the end of 2400m on the roomy Trentham track.
Not only has the once frail Xcellent done well since Ellerslie, he actually started doing too well.
"His recovery after the Zabeel was remarkable," says co-trainer Paul Moroney. "His racing weight is around 492kg and last week he'd crept up to 513kg.
"With the work we've given him this week I'd say he'd be around the 500kg mark right now and with the trip to Trentham I'd say he'll produce on raceday pretty close to his best racing weight."
To get Xcellent up to 2400m this time the stable has not increased the distances of his fast work, but lengthened the three-quarter pace.
"To make sure we'd been giving him enough fast work we sent a horse with him five or six lengths ahead on Tuesday morning and made him catch it up. He'll be ready for the 2400m."
Paul Lally said there had been a steady stream of money to take the $1.30.
Everswindell will top off her Wellington Cup preparation, with Delbrae, Kerry O'Reilly and Twinkling adding strength to the opposition.
