Untroubled to lead from the inside alley, Darrel Graham’s flying son of Courage Under Fire was in a race of his own, carving out even mid-race sectionals before ripping through his last half-mile in a sizzling 55.3-seconds – the quickest of the night.

So it is little wonder that despite the lack of public attention, the Queensland trainer/driver is as confident as anyone approaching Saturday night’s $200,000 final at Moonee Valley.

"He went terrific," Graham said. "And his work this week has been even better than it was last week, so I think he’s pretty well spot on.

"Put it this way, I’m staying here at Graeme Lang’s and he’s happy with the horse. When Graeme Lang’s happy, you’ve got to be happy."

That sense of satisfaction was only fortified following the race’s Caduceus Club barrier draw on Wednesday when Lanercost secured an ideal trailing draw (9), directly behind brilliant beginner and likely race leader For A Reason.

"We’re very happy with the gate," Graham said. "If we couldn’t draw one or two then that’s probably the third best draw in the race."

In a perfect scenario last season’s Australian Breeders Crown runner-up would land a forward position from his kind alley without expending vital energy that may be required late in the race, with the vast majority of runners stepping up to 2575 metres for the first time.

But for Graham it is the desire for luck in running, not doubts over his colt’s ability to see out the longer trip that dominates his mindset.

"The distance simply won’t worry him," the Fernvale conditioner asserted. "We work him over two and a half miles back home and he handles it fine.

"He’s used to doing the long trips so that’ll hold him in good stead I should think. All we want is a clear passage and we’ll have no excuses."