"Sister Havana probably shouldn't have won that race. She drew the No 1 barrier and as we know that's gold in these sorts of races."
Sister Havana was also aided by a magnificent ride from the late Stathi Katsidis - three back on the rails with no interference and winning was simply a matter of finding the right home-straight gap, which the pair found and sprinted away for the easiest of wins.
Hardline is a dream horse - magnificent in conformation with a strong rear end, but his most valuable asset is unquestionably his bombproof temperament.
The $130,000 Showcasing purchase from Hallmark Stud at the Karaka sale walked around Ellerslie yesterday as if it were his home. He is so laidback he looked as though the Ellerslie surroundings, with plenty to look at and can freak some young horses the first time, was about to put him to sleep.
"I've put blinkers on him for the first time for this race and you can see why," said Birchley. "I don't know how he managed to win a race without them."
Without question, the blinkers will help fire up Hardline to assist him to jump quickly from the barriers, something he did not do in either of his two races to date.
Hardline won on debut at Doomben after a tardy beginning and got back in his only other race when taken to Sydney.
"Initially, I was really disappointed with that effort, but it was the first race of the day and when I saw the pattern as it emerged through the day horses that go back couldn't make ground.
"Worse, Damien Browne had to take him wide on the bend and the wider you got the more difficult it was to make ground on the leaders.
"Damien came back in and said he'd still have been second if he hadn't gone out wide on the home bend. It was fairly noticeable that Hardline shied away from that other wide horse, so the blinkers will help there, too."
Browne, a former New Zealand jockey, will make the trip from Queensland on Sunday to ride Hardline.
Birchley made a special trip to Auckland to watch yesterday's work and flew back to Brisbane last night. "I'll fly back either Friday or Saturday."
Hardline was sent out with local juvenile Scooter O'Reilly, but the pair did separate pieces of work.
Leith Innes dropped Scooter O'Reilly 120m behind the Australian, who was still doing three-quarter pace when he was joined by the other horse at the 550m.
Allan Russell, former jockey and Birchley's long-time astute trackwork rider, did not attempt to stay with Scooter O'Reilly because Hardline was there essentially to have a look at the vast Ellerslie landscape as he came down the home straight. He finished his work very strongly, five lengths behind Scooter O'Reilly.
Birchley's other Karaka Million raider was Sarge In Charge, who finished second to The Heckler in 2009, after a very rough mid-race passage.
"I brought both horses in here to have a look at Ellerslie before raceday and I'm more than happy to do it again. Hardline doesn't need a lot more work, he's tight as you can see.
"It's important what they see here coming down the home straight [in a race] doesn't distract them. They only have to lose concentration for half a second and it can cost them the race."
Today's mid-day barrier draw for the Million will be critical.
"I believe that barrier draws are the single most important factor in horse racing these days," said Birchley. "We don't have so many outstanding jockeys that dominate today, so the thing that separates horses is barrier draws."
Scooter O'Reilly was yesterday out of contention for the 14-horse field. His work yesterday looked good. He was found to have been suffering a respiratory infection when well beaten at Ellerslie on January 10.
The only other pair to use the course yesterday were from Stephen Marsh's Cambridge stable. Billy Mojo, a winner at Te Rapa on November 23, worked with a 3-year-old one-start maiden Silver Rod.
Billy Mojo has just managed to sneak into the field for Albert Bosma and his Go Racing Syndicate.
Karaka Million
Australian visitor Hardline is looking to provide his trainer Liam Birchley with his second win in the Million.
Birchley won the race in 2010 with Sister Havana after producing the runner up Sarge In Charge in 2009.
Karaka Million
• Australian visitor Hardline is looking to provide his trainer Liam Birchley with his second win in the Million.
• Birchley won the race in 2010 with Sister Havana after producing the runner up Sarge In Charge in 2009.
• Hardline looks an ideal type for Sunday's big race.
