Journey almost over, Trinder content

There might have been occasions this year when Adam Trinder wondered how his Cox Plate Week might look.

The Tasmanian trainer's stable star, Mystic Journey, had been favourite for the $5 million Group 1 for longer than not since the retirement of four-time Cox Plate heroine Winx and was considered by many to be the heir apparent to the great mare.

Not the 'next Winx', but the horse most likely to fill her void as Australia's best.

The campaign started well, with a seventh-straight win in the G2 Lawrence Stakes, before the boom was lowered with G1 defeats in the Makybe Diva Stakes and Turnbull Stakes.

Had she won those races, Trinder would have been forced to play the demanding role Chris Waller occupied in the lead-up to Winx's Cox Plate victories, which wouldn't have been easy with a stable full of horses to look after on the other side of Bass Strait.

As it is, the four-year-old, who won the G1 Australian Guineas and inaugural $5m All-Star Mile in March, is considered one of an even bunch of Australian weight-for-age performers and while some have alighted the bandwagon, that doesn't fuss Trinder.

"She's got a loyal band (of followers), a few people have dropped away, which is only human nature," he said.

"But she's done nothing wrong by us, she owes us nothing and we're really proud of her achievements.

"I'm a racehorse trainer and I focus on that training and having her in the best order we can, which I believe we've been able to achieve."

Mystic Journey arrived in Melbourne, as is custom, via ship on Friday morning before taking up residence at Tony McEvoy's Flemington stable.

"She travelled over really well, she's settled in well, her weight's perfect for tomorrow, she's lovely and bright about herself, so really happy with the way everything's transpired," Trinder said.

"She's in really good order, so that keeps me relaxed. The weather is somewhat of a concern, obviously the day is about to turn sour here and we'll see what sort of rain we get overnight, but as it presents at the moment, she's in good order and going to give a good account of herself."

Although displaced as favourite by Japanese mare Lys Grycieux ($3.60 with BetEasy), Mystic Journey ($8) remains the second favourite, largely due to her favourable barrier (five) and the fact connections have announced they will have her in a more prominent spot than previous runs this campaign.

The toughest part for Trinder will be when he legs aboard jockey Anthony Darmanin and Mystic Journey's destiny is in the hands of someone's other than his.

It will be a much different feeling to when he was one of Australia's leading jumps jockeys, who won many features including a Grand National Steeplechase and Hurdle, Great Eastern Steeplechase and a couple of Hiskens Steeplechases at The Valley.

"I would suggest there's more pressure tomorrow, because there's a lot more moving objects," Trinder said when asked to compare pre-race nerves of a jockey compared with a trainer.

"You can only control it up until the time that you let her go out of the mounting yard, then it's out of your control.

"There's a little bit of apprehension in that regard, but I trust we're handling it well and have done everything right."