"If she does the money will be paid and then all we need to worry about is the weather." The Ellerslie track hovered between good and dead yesterday and with expected rain on Thursday, ARC officials are confident of a near perfect racing surface.
But James has only to think back a year to know how quickly things can change.
He started He's Remarkable in the Derby last year and watched him tail off on a heavy track as Jimmy Choux ploughed to victory.
"I don't think we are going to get anything like those conditions but that would be the only issue.
"If it got heavy she wouldn't run because I learned that lesson with He's Remarkable last year and we have back-up plans with races in Sydney.
"But I don't even want to think about that. At the moment everything is going perfectly and I couldn't be happier."
James will follow the same training programme this week he did leading into Silent Achiever's effortless Avondale Guineas last start.
"She only had one gallop between her Te Rapa win and the Guineas and that was the Tuesday before the race.
"She came off the track perfect then so we will follow that script." Silent Achiever will work over 2000m today, picking up a companion at the 1200m before being let stride from the 600m.
"And hopefully that will top her off. But really she is making my job very easy because she hasn't missed a beat and is handling everything perfectly.
"She is very in the zone at the moment."
That will be music to the ears of those who plunged Silent Achiever at the TAB fixed odds, where she sat a ridiculously short $2.20 yesterday, the bookies obviously keen to turn the tap off on her.
That price will go out after the final acceptances, especially if the in-form Angelology joins the Derby party.
The Kevin Myers-trained gelding has been a revelation in the past month and bolted away with the St Leger Trial at Otaki on Saturday, all but convincing his connections to make the late payment.
"And we could have a few others pay it too so the race is becoming very competitive," said Ellerslie racing boss Andrew Castles.
While the $22,500 late payment sounds a lot by New Zealand racing standards, it is not quite as dramatic as it looks.
Connections of horses entered at the initial nomination stage who have made all the payment necessary to start on Saturday would have paid $8800, so the late fee is only $13,700 more.
Which isn't a lot if you say it fast.
"And the bottom line is, when you have a filly this good you want them in the best races," adds James.
"After all, it would be pretty hard watching them go around this week and not having her in the race."
The weight of money that has driven Silent Achiever into $2.20 does have benefits for fans of some of her classy male opponents.
Ocean Park was out to $5.50 last night, where he will have plenty of fans, with 2000 Guineas winner Rock N Pop sitting at $6.50 and Shuka at $9.
Zurella, who like many of the favourites would dread a wet track, has slid out to $10 in the market.
