Godolphin trainer James Cummings knows what he is going to get from In Secret in Saturday’s TJ Smith - and, more importantly, knows what he will get from Ben Melham in the race of the century.

The sprint classic is the highlight of the first day of The Championships on Saturday, and Cummings’s excitment is reaching fever pitch.

“How good is this race?” Cummings said. “You need someone who you can trust in the saddle and Ben is that jockey. You want someone like Ben when you’re taking on the likes of Nature Strip and Giga Kick because he will get it right.”

With James McDonald committed to Nature Strip as he looks for a fourth consecutive win in the TJ Smith, In Secret was always going to need a different jockey on Saturday.

Melham’s partner Jamie Kah was booked for the Newmarket Handicap and the TJ Smith, but when she fell on Newmarket day earlier this month, Dean Holland took over for the filly’s biggest win down the straight at Flemington.

Kah is still feeling the effects of her concussion three weeks later, so Cummings was left trying to find the right partner for In Secret at Randwick in the race which will decide the best sprinter in the land.

“Ben rode Black Caviar to her first group 1, when he got a late call-up, and has won Golden Slippers. Look at his rides for me this season,” Cummings said. “You just want someone like him who knows what is needed and will get it done. It was an easy decision for me in the end.”

Melham has only had 17 rides for Cummings this season, but he has banked five black-type wins, including group 1 triumphs on Paulele in the Winterbottom Stakes and Cascadian in last weekend’s Australian Cup.

“Have a look at those rides, they don’t get any better,” Cummings said. “He really suits our horses and is in at top echelon of riders. He has been there before and the barrier won’t worry him. He knows the pressure and knows what to do.”