Working wide on the course proper, Jimmy Choux evenly cut out 12.5 second 200m sectionals before unreeling a 11.5 second last 200m.
"That was exactly what he needed and Jonathan was happy afterwards, which is always a good sign."
Jimmy Choux will be asked for a brisk 600m tomorrow morning but before then Bary has one more request to tick off his wish list.
"I'd love to draw handy around midfield," he says of today's barrier draw.
"Barrier six would be ideal. That would give us options."
The relief Bary felt yesterday was a product of having earlier been concerned by the unusual environment Jimmy Choux found himself in after arriving in Hong Kong last Thursday.
"I am big on horses having paddocks and obviously that doesn't happen up here," said Bary.
"But to make that worse, because of the quarantine conditions he is in an eight-horse barn all by himself.
"That meant he sulked for the first week. After all, horses are herd animals and he didn't like not having a mate to hang around with.
"So he wasn't eating all that well the first week but now he has got his head around it and he looks fantastic.
"I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw him today because his coat looks superb and really I can't fault him.
"And he is eating well. He put 1.5kg back on again on Tuesday and I think he could be spot on for Sunday."
While the Mile comes at the end of a long and extremely productive year for Jimmy Choux, Bary is still his usual determined self, with a dash of parochialism.
"Getting beaten in the Cox Plate really stung and that has made me even more determined," he says.
"I want him to win for us, but I also want to win for the New Zealand bloodstock industry and the Australasian racing scene.
"So we are flying a lot of flags here on Sunday."
Jimmy Choux is obviously the first racehorse Bary has campaigned in Hong Kong but his campaign was shaped by a piece of advice from master trainer Trevor McKee, who co-trained Sunline to win an epic Hong Kong Mile.
"Trevor said to me one day at Wanganui that I should aim at the Mile, instead of the 2000m race.
"That's because the Mile races like an 1800m, like a big mile at Randwick does.
"After what Sunline did for the McKees I thought that was worth paying attention to."
Jimmy Choux does have the advantage of not having to deal with any Sunlines on Sunday, with this year's Mile being even but without a standout champion.
So much so Jimmy Choux is battling local star Xtension for favouritism in pre-draw markets with most major British bookies.
Half of them have the Kiwi favourite at $6 with Xtension heading the other markets but local form guru Alan Aitken has no doubts who will start favourite if the draws are relatively even.
"Xtension will start favourite on the local totes here, providing he doesn't get a shocking draw, because he is a very good horse and has the advantage of racing at home," said Aitken.
"But there is plenty of respect for Jimmy Choux and he will be well in the market and could be favourite with plenty of the overseas bookies if he draws well."
