An ordinary Monday morning involves dragging yourself into another week of working, preparing, caring for and planning for the week.

Whether you are an admin assistant, a plumber or harness racing trainer - a Monday morning can seem overwhelming.

But this is no ordinary Monday morning and there is no complacency or monotony here in Christchurch.

It’s mild - for Christchurch’s standards - and the beach awaits. Rock N Roll Doo has made the local beaches his own as Mick Stanley jumps aboard and gallops the big fella along the shoreline.

It’s a sight to behold.

Whilst Mick’s wife Gen is back in Burrumbeet handling the remainder of the team (what a star she is!), his sole focus has been on training ‘Hendo’ to the minute and having the horse ready to peak for his toughest task yet when the tapes release at 3:36pm AEDT tomorrow.

The whole team is here to support - and help prepare - Rock N Roll Doo. Whatever is needed is done. You probably only get one chance at winning a race as grand as this.

The team is trying to take every chance while enjoying the challenge and the moment. It’s tricky to do both - smelling the roses whilst remaining focused on the task.

Knocking off the New Zealanders on their turf is no easy feat - in fact beating them in Australia is difficult enough - but the two Australian entrants (Majestic Cruiser the other) are in as good as shape as any.

What I can say for sure is the Victorian horse and team are in supreme shape. Even the untrained eye can appreciate ‘Hendo’ for the colossal horse he is.

Mick says “everything has gone to plan” and that this horse “knows he’s here for a big race”.

In relation to the back row draw, the Burrumbeet-based trainer says it’s “almost perfect” as he can cruise away behind them and slot into a nice position.

Stanley labels the obvious as his main dangers.

“Copy That is the reigning champ and his past two runs have been huge whilst Self Assured is prepared by the master so you must respect both,” he said.

“In reality, this is a deep and unpredictable Cup. I would not swap my guy for anything else in the race, no matter the barriers.”

What’s for sure is that this horse and this man are ready.

Even before winning the Victoria Cup, the minds of Stanley and owner Brendan James were looking toward this trip.

And, here he is, some 30 hours and 3200m away from the holy grail of harness racing.

I’ll chat to you again on race morning. The build-up is something else across here. At some point just find a way to get here - you’ll thank me later!

Stay tuned to my socials and the HRV channels for some colour content across the next 24 hours. A 24 hours we hope are very special for the gang from just outside Ballarat.

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.