Probabeel pleases Patrick Payne

Eighteen years ago, he rode for his life down the Moonee Valley straight to win the Cox Plate on Northerly, but Patrick Payne had a different plan in mind when he galloped contender Probabeel at the track on Tuesday morning.

Instead of the intense battle that led to Northerly's 2002 Cox Plate win, the former jockey now trainer was going to great pains to ensure Probabeel enjoyed a much more cruisy experience.

Payne was called up to partner Probabeel in her first Valley gallop by his brother-in-law Kerrin McEvoy, who is to ride the Kiwi-trained mare in Saturday's Cox Plate.

McEvoy was unable to ride her in her work on Tuesday as he is serving a mandatory five-day quarantine in Melbourne after coming from Sydney on Sunday following his third win in The Everest.

McEvoy joked he didn't want any of his rivals jumping on the mare and working her too hard five days out from the Cox Plate, but in reality, he could barely have found a better trackwork rider for this important piece of work.

"Under the family act, I was happy to help Kerrin out," said Payne, whose sister Cathy is married to McEvoy.

"She's great," he said of Probabeel. "All the main things are really good with her. She had a good look at the grandstand the first time around then she worked quite lovely.

"By herself she was quite casual and didn't do a lot of work, but all the main things are right. Her action's really good, she is really clean-winded and she pulled up lovely after the gallop.

"She got on her correct leg and Moonee Valley's cambered very well and I find it rides pretty well."

Payne said he had a good report for the mare's trainer Jamie Richards, who is in New Zealand.

"She looks in really good order. Her coat's really good. I think Jamie's in a pretty good place," he said.

Probabeel, who later drew ideally in barrier two, is rated an $11 chance to win the Cox Plate by Sportsbet.

WATCH: Probabeel's gallop