KEY POINTS:
All the ticks were in the right boxes when Xcellent pulled up from his final fast work at Matamata yesterday morning, 24 hours before boarding this morning's charter flight to Brisbane.
Regular rider Michael Coleman described Xcellent's gallop on a slow course proper - 1200m in 1:23.6 and 600m in 38.1 - as his best piece of work in the build-up to Saturday's A$1 million ($1.1 million) Stradbroke Hdp.
Co-trainer Paul Moroney agreed on the comeback gelding's fitness, backed by the results of the previous day's veterinary examination and blood tests.
Then came two pieces of bad news, beginning with a phone call from Moroney's brother and training partner Mike, reporting an overnight downpour in Brisbane compounded hours later by an inside barrier draw.
"Given his style and the likelihood of an off track that's the last place we wanted to draw," said Coleman of Xcellent's gate one slot.
"If he had drawn the outside it wouldn't have mattered. He could have sat three wide with cover, that's a good position to unwind from.
"He's going to drop back and I'll have to work it out from there.
"He's got a good turn of foot and the last thing I want to be doing is asking him to chop and change ground. The main thing is to get him on one line and have one decent crack."
Coleman will arrive in Brisbane tomorrow morning in plenty of time to walk the track and discuss tactics with the Moroney brothers.
His Saturday action will happen in a hurry, with the Stradbroke timed to run immediately after the Queensland Derby in which he will ride the Moroney-trained Resolution, who he finished third on in the Mercedes Derby in March.
That Pentire gelding's draw of four - directly inside his Queensland Oaks-winning stablemate Eskimo Queen - is likely to put him on the same piece of ground that Xcellent will encounter 40 minutes later.
"I last rode at Eagle Farm two years ago, so I'm reasonably familiar with it," said Coleman. "At least with those two races being later in the day the pattern will have become apparent."
Coleman isn't letting the end of the Queensland drought nor the barrier draw cloud the positives around Xcellent's attempt at a stunning comeback in his first race for 19 months.
"He's progressed every step of the way and he's going to get there as fit as you could expect after such a long layoff," he reasoned. "He feels good and ... he's enjoying being back."
The Brisbane forecast is for rain through today and clearing tomorrow. Yesterday's Doomben cancellation is not considered entirely relevant given the different natures of Brisbane's neighbouring tracks, with course manager Bill Shuck saying Eagle Farm would have been up to racing despite the previous night's rainfall.
Should the weather dictate the Xcellent camp has a contingency plan in the form of the Tatts-Queensland Mile at the same venue on June 23.
"Fingers crossed that won't be necessary," said Coleman. "We've been waiting a long time for this ... "
