Adelaide© Photo Healy Racing
Ryan Moore believes Adelaide has plenty in his favour ahead of Saturday's Cox Plate despite being handed an unfavourable draw for the Moonee Valley event.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained three-year-old won the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington back in August and was last seen chasing home Ectot when third in the Prix Niel at Longchamp.
Moore felt he was slightly unlucky that day and takes great heart from his French effort.
He wrote: "Clearly, being drawn 13 of 14 is a big negative on this tight track, but you have to play the hand you are dealt and get on with it. And there are plenty of positives, anyway.
"I believe this has been the plan for a fair while for Adelaide, and he certainly advertised his claims with a third in the Prix Niel. He didn't get the breaks there and it was plain for all to see that he was unlucky; he would have won if getting a run sooner.
"And, after that, we did have a discussion about whether he should go for the Arc. But, against that, I am never in a rush to go overboard about the Arc trials, which are often pretty farcical in terms of pace - and, indeed, in effort from some - and the winner and the fifth home in that race haven't done much for the form since.
"However, clearly, you are not judging him solely on that one run. He won an admittedly below-par Secretariat Stakes before that, and has tactical speed, which he will need here, so I don't think the step back down to 10 furlongs will be a problem.
"The fact that he appears to take his travelling so well is another plus, but it is a big ask against the locals from his wide draw around this track, for all that he is the current 7.4 second-favourite."
O'Brien also has plenty of faith in his challenger and thinks Adelaide has all the right attritbutes to do himself proud in Australia's leading weight-for-age contest.
He said: "He has never disappointed and just cruised his way through until he started racing. And then when he started racing obviously we noticed he had a very high cruising speed.
"He travelled very well and had a very low action, so he was going to handle fast ground.
"When we travelled him he showed he had a great constitution. He has held his coat well and is an easy horse to handle. There is no doubt he is up with the better three-year-olds, the horse is progressing and we think he will progress more."
Side Glance finished sixth in the race last year on his Antipodean debut before going on to win the Group One Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington.
Andrew Balding has given him a prep race in Australia this time around, with the seven-year-old claiming a fine third behind the reopposing Fawkner in the Caulfield Stakes.
Balding, who arrived in Australia on Thursday, expects Side Glance to have progressed for the outing and is satisfied with his draw in stall seven.
He said: "He's definitely come up with a better barrier than last year and I think having had a run this year is going to be to his advantage as well, because last year we were going in fresh and he ran a bit fresh.
"He's got the track experience now as well, so he's just got to find a couple of lengths on last year."
Balding's assistant Leanne Masterton has been overseeing Side Glance's Australian preparations and she echoed Balding's thoughts.
She said: "His form has been so consistent, he's been regularly placed in Group Ones for the last two years. So I think he's certainly worth an each-way bet.
"He feels fantastic, he lost a few kilos (after the Caulfield Stakes), put that straight back on and feels really good. I think it will probably benefit him, having a race this year. He was fresh last year."
Marco Botti's Guest Of Honour also lines up having finished ninth in the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield earlier this month.
