Michael Freedman will start a pair of Group One winners in the $3 million The Ingham, but he is the first to admit their presence in the Sydney summer feature is a leap of faith.
Freedman's Randwick Guineas victor Communist and former Hong Kong galloper Excellent Proposal have both been down on form, albeit for varying reasons.
Communist's campaign has been peppered by bad barriers and bad luck, while Excellent Proposal is on the comeback trail after a bleeding attack in Hong Kong.
The latter has had a storied career, winning three of his first four career starts for Freedman before heading overseas where he won the 2021 Group 1 Hong Kong Classic Mile and was placed behind superstar Golden Sixty at the top level last year.
But his more recent runs have been a mixed bag, an encouraging closing effort behind Hard To Say on resumption last month followed by a well-beaten effort in The Hunter, prompting Freedman to put Excellent Proposal on notice.
"He had a bleeding attack….and it was decided to retire him from Hong Kong and bring him back here to see if he could regain some form," Freedman said.
"The jury is out with him as to whether he still has that desire to race or not.
"I was rapt with his first-up run, second-up in The Hunter was only eleven days after his first-up run and they did really hammer along in that and like a few others in that race, he got chased off the bridle early and never really got into that race.
"He's had a nice gap between that run and going into The Ingham, his work has been good. A mile is probably what he's looking for, his best form in Hong Kong was over a mile."
Communist had also been struggling for form before Freedman put the blinkers on two starts ago in the Golden Eagle and the gelding showed grit to be beaten less than three lengths by Japan's Obamburumai despite enduring a tough run.
He'd hoped the horse could continue that improvement into The Gong but conditions on the day went against him.
"Last start on that heavy track that was very chopped up near the rail where no one wanted to be, he was forced to race there and just simply didn't really let down in that ground," Freedman said.
"His run before that was glimpses of his best form in the Golden Eagle and it was a bit frustrating because he obviously just didn't get conditions to suit in The Gong.
"We figured, for the sake of giving him one more try, back at a mile at Randwick, hopefully on a firm track and we'll just see if we can get him to put his best foot forward."
Communist firmed from $41 into $26 for The Ingham (1600m) after drawing barrier nine, while Excellent Proposal was at $71 after coming up with gate 12.
Several of the more fancied runners have been dealt outside alleys, including $3.80 favourite Detonator Jack in 15 and $7 second pick Osipenko, who will see them all from barrier 24.