Ask trainer Kerry Parker about how far Group 1 winner Think It Over has come and he'll tell you the best indicator is off the track.
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The five-year-old gelding continues to prove the doubters wrong.
The query was once whether the $1m The Gong race, over 1600m, was too sharp for him in elite company and he finished a home-town hero in third.
At $41 no less.
Think It Over returned in the autumn to win the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup, over 1300m, at $51, then second in the Group 2 Ajax and then most recently claim trainer Kerry Parker's second-ever Group 1 in the George Ryder Stakes at odds.
The results speak for themselves, but it's his attitude around the stable which provides the biggest insight.
"Before The Gong there were a few (media) cameras around and he didn't want to know about it, he wasn't sure at all," Parker said.
"He was very timid and would over-react to things.
"But this preparation, he knows it's all about him.
"He struts around, he's pretty cheeky, he's got all the confidence and it shows out there on race day."
So anyone willing to write him off, after drawing barrier 18 in the prestigious Doncaster Mile at Randwick on Saturday hasn't been paying attention.
Think It Over is around the $11 mark, but Parker has faith in Glen Boss's ability to overcome any obstacle.
"Even if he ended up three pairs back and three deep, if he has cover, he'll get his chance," Parker told the Mercury.
"It's a long straight, so you just want him to get some clear air and show his best.
"There's no doubt he's taken the next step since his Gong preparation, he's come back a lot more mature and mentally he copes with everything so much better.
"After The Gong, we mapped it out that he would be a lightweight Doncaster hope and he's there now."
Parker stands with the racing heavyweights, like Kris Lees' All Star Mile champion Mugatoo, Godolphin's warhorse Avilius and Chris Waller and Star Of The Seas - who ran third in the inaugural The Gong in 2019 - on Saturday.
It's his first Doncaster chance since Brilliant Light defied a wide run from barrier 16, to finish third behind Rangirangdoo back in 2010.
"I've tried not to think about that," Parker said.
"You can't do anything about the barrier draw or the weather.
"Plenty of horses have terrible luck, especially in big races, from inside draws.
"I'm just hoping he has a chance to show he's good enough with only 52.5kg on his back."
Boss has won seven Doncaster Miles and will need to live up to his big-race reputation on Saturday.
