Aussie pacers coming to Addington to win NZ's greatest race, the IRT New Zealand Cup, need to be something special.

After all, they have no advantages and have to wrest the IRT Cup away from the grasp of some incredibly talented local horsepeople and their wonderful horses who are so much more used to the rigours of standing start distance racing than the visitors can possibly be.

That is why only one Australian-trained pacer has won the New Zealand Cup this century.

But Rock N Roll Doo is the $4 second favourite for the iconic race at Addington in four weeks and could even be top elect by the big day.

Here are five reasons why he can defy history and win the Cup:

1: He is good, maybe great

One Victoria Cup doesn’t make a champion, but not many of them are won the way Rock N Roll Doo won his on Saturday night.

Rather than being a speedy, passing lane win, it was a crushing Victoria Cup dominance of raw stamina. Like his Kilmore Cup win the start before over distance, he was going away at the line.

Ability and stamina won’t be a problem.

2: He is very relaxed

Rock N Roll Doo was almost asleep in the stables and parade ring at Melton on Saturday night, head down and conserving his energy for when it was needed.

That is going to be a huge help in front of 20,000 fans at Addington on Cup Day because if the four-year-old was nervy and all that adrenalin started pumping through his veins pre-race, it wouldn’t help with what will be only his second career standing start.

Nervy he ain’t.

3: They are doing it right

Trainer Mick Stanley is dedicating himself to this NZ Cup campaign, flying Rock N Roll Doo to New Zealand on Thursday and travelling himself on Friday.

That means Stanley could spend much of the next month with the horse so he can get his prep and then Cup week right.

“I have a great team at home so I am not concerned at all about the stable ticking over while I am away, but it will be hard being away from my family for so long,” says Stanley.

“But I am tremendously excited about the whole experience.”

One of the reasons for the early arrival is so, all going well, Rock N Roll Doo can go to the Ashburton Flying Stakes to get his eye in and iron out any pre-Cup bugs.

That is a masterstroke and will let Stanley - and all of us - know where he stands.

4: The locals

No disrespect to our wonderful elite pacers, but the crop is going through a transition.

As the Methven Cup and other lead-up races have shown, the once “big three” of Self Assured, Spankem and South Coast Arden are beatable, while defending NZ Cup champ Copy That has been unplaced in three of four starts in Victoria this campaign.

There is no shortage of talent like B D Joe coming through and Self Assured will be the horse to beat at Addington, but it is not like Rock N Roll Doo is coming here to take on Lazarus.

5: His lead-up races

One of the issues for Australian pacers coming to the New Zealand Cup in the past has been lead-up racing, with few lung-searing distance contests to get them ready for the oxygen debt that awaits at Addington.

But you could make the case, a lack of standing starts aside, that Rock N Roll Doo has been racing in harder and even arguably stronger races this spring than the New Zealand horses and right now would be as fit if not fitter than our best horses.

Add Ashburton to that mix and he should be every bit as fit as the Kiwis come November 8.

So he is at least coming for a fair fight.