Nom de Jeu and Sir Slick carry New Zealand racing fraternity hopes in the prestigious Cox Plate in Australia today.
They're the only two New Zealand trained horses in the 14-strong field although there are also another three New Zealand bred horses set to line-up in the race, which brings together the best weight-for-age horses in Australasia.
The New Zealand bred contingent includes El Segundo, who won the race in 2007, Vision and Power, and rising contender So You Think, trained by leading horse trainer Bart Cummings.
Cummings picked up his seventh Caulfield Cup last weekend thanks to an easy victory by Melbourne Cup hero Viewed last weekend and will have his sights set on dominating the Spring carnival, with the Cox Plate the next stop.
Cummings has won three Cox Plates, seven Caulfield Cups and 12 Melbourne Cups, but, unlike Lee Freedman, has not won all three races in the same season.
The last New Zealand trained Cox Plate winner was Savabeel in 2004, which was trained by Graeme Rogerson, and now stands at Waikato Stud.