By Michael Guerin In London
Champion New Zealand jockey James McDonald says riding Nature Strip in tomorrow's King Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot could be the most exciting race of his incredible season.
Which is some call from the wonder jockey who has ridden the winner of Australia's two biggest races the Melbourne Cup and the Everest in the last 12 months.
McDonald will be legged up on to Nature Strip in the early hours of tomorrow (NZ time) by fellow Kiwi horseman Chris Waller as they combine to take on some of the world's best over 1000m for 500,000 pounds.
Waller and McDonald have become the kings of Sydney racing, combining to win both The Everest with Nature Strip last October and the Melbourne Cup a few weeks later with Verry Elleegant.
For most that is a career of highlights in a month but the Kiwi pair are unstoppable, Waller last week breaking the record for stakes won in a single season in Australia and McDonald so dominant he is being spoken about as potentially one of the greatest ever to come from this part of the world.
At just 30 years of age his best years may be ahead of him and all sorts of records beckon. Maybe even the No.1 ever Australasian jockey title, if such a thing exists.
Tomorrow's race (2.40am Wednesday NZ time) is different though, even if it is worth only a fraction of what the Waller and McDonald won last spring.
"The build-up has been bigger," McDonald tells the Herald.
"I know that sounds strange because The Everest is a huge event and talked about for a long time beforehand and the Melbourne Cup is the Melbourne Cup.
"They are amazing days and we are lucky to have them in Australia and it was a dream to win them both.
"But with Verry Elleegant winning the Cup we weren't even sure she was starting until a few days out and there are lots of other horses being spoken about.
"And there are also plenty of horses getting the chat before The Everest.
"But for the last year, maybe longer, racing people have been talking about Nature Strip going to Ascot.
"Then it was which race would he go to, then you need to win the lead up races to still make the trip and then travel well and the list of things you need to overcome and have go right is huge.
"All that time the chat has been about him so the build-up is longer and more focussed on one horse.