The only real challenger to Sea The Stars’ bid to land a fourth consecutive Group 1, Mastercraftsman, appears unfancied ahead of the Juddmonte International Stakes at York on Tuesday.
The Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’ Palace Stakes winner has been allowed to drift to 5/2 from 2/1 with most major bookmakers, as many punters believe John Oxx’s dual-Classic winning hero cannot be beaten.
Sea The Stars remains a general 1-3 favourite, but has shortened to 2-7 with Bet365 and can only be backed at 1-4 with Victor Chandler.
Mastercraftsman is the only conceivable danger to the 1-3 market leader, with Ballydoyle's stable companions Georgebernardshaw and Set Sail as big as 200-1.
But John Oxx is ignoring the vibes from the market and is refusing to believe that the result is a mere formality.
"Everything has been fine with the horse, and his work has been good," said Oxx.
"I don't think they have had any significant rain at the track on Monday, which is good news, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens now. There aren't many runners, which is a very disappointing thing for everyone, but we can do nothing about that.
"Mastercraftsman is a good horse and looks like he will enjoy this step up in distance. The mile and a quarter should suit him and that could help him step up a bit more. He's a good, tough competitor and you have to respect him.
"The track should suit our horse fine as it's a nice, straightforward course and it suits a horse with speed as well. I've never actually had a runner in this race before and obviously it would be nice if all goes well. But it's another race and another day and nothing ever stays the same.
"It's a great race with a great bit of history to it, but there are always problems to overcome, so we just have to hope for the best. There is an element of relief when each race is over, but any trainer would be tremendously excited about training a horse like Sea The Stars as they are what you dream about all your life.
"He is unusual in the amount of speed he has and there is no worry about the distance he runs over. To win a Guineas, Derby and Eclipse in the space of eight weeks is something not many horses can do."
