“I spoke to his trackwork rider after he went the Valley on Saturday morning, and he was very happy,” he said.

But, in teaming up with the Neasham-trained star, McDonald finds himself in the rare position of lining up against Chris Waller’s accomplished mare Verry Elleegant.

Zaaki was always McDonald’s first option for the Cox Plate, despite his association with Verry Elleegant, but whether he would take his spot in the saddle was always going to depend on whether an exemption was granted for the Sydney jockeys to travel.

The Victorian government granted McDonald and his Sydney peers approval last Thursday, but Racing Victoria protocols mean McDonald and Hugh Bowman (Mo’unga) will need to quarantine for six days before riding at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

“Zaaki’s owners were always happy to wait and see if I could get there [to Melbourne] and I really want to repay them for that,” McDonald said. “It would be an awesome couple of weeks if I can do it.”

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McDonald’s soft commitment to Zaaki meant the jockey merry-go-round would progress in the background. With Verry Elleegant following a Winx-like preparation through the Turnbull to the Cox Plate, Damian Lane secured the two rides on her.

Meanwhile, Craig Williams, who kept the seat warm on Zaaki for two starts, saw an opportunity to jump on the light-weight Caulfield Guineas winner Anamoe and grabbed the chance with both hands.

“The connections of Verry Elleegant jumped early and wanted her in Melbourne, which meant I wasn’t going to be able to ride her,” McDonald said.

“It is certainly going to be strange going out in a race against Verry Elleegant and I hope she [doesn’t] go past in the straight and make me look silly.”

With Chris Roots