Rivals have lauded Harry Coffey's remarkable toughness after the popular jockey was cleared to ride Shockletz in the Melbourne Cup following a successful procedure to repair a fractured collarbone.
Coffey had surgery on Sunday and was given every chance to prove his fitness for Australia's greatest race at Flemington on Tuesday by Shockletz's managing owner Laurence Eales.
Trained by Ciaron Maher, the daughter of 2009 winner Shocking sits among the leading contenders in betting markets, with Irishman Joseph O'Brien's Trustyourinstinct taking over as favourite from Point Of Law on Monday, at around the $7.50 mark.
England's Hopewell Rock and Bjorn Baker's local hope So You Are round out the top five.
Coffey, 31, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at just six weeks of age, was injured in a frightening fall on the Victoria Derby program at Flemington on Saturday.
But he is set to take his place in the Cup line-up on Shockletz after being declared fit on Monday by Racing Victoria's chief medical officer Dr Ben Barresi.
"They always say jockeys are made of different stuff and he's proving that," said fellow rider Rachel King, who will partner So You Are in the Cup.
"I've been through a few injuries myself, and I know how hard it is, but I know how determined he'll be to get back there.
"He won't do it unless he can be there 100 per cent fit and healthy, but it's just amazing what he's doing and what he's going through.
"It just proves how much it means to us jockeys ... Melbourne Cup day is the biggest day of the year."
Superstar jockey James McDonald will ride Trustyourinstinct for Irish trainer O'Brien and billionaire owner-breeder JP McManus, and rates Shockletz among the main challengers.
He, too, marvelled at Coffey's bravery, pointing out his rival could take inspiration from the recent recoveries of Mark Zahra and Jye McNeil.
Both rode winners at Flemington last Saturday, two weeks after their Caulfield Cup falls.
"It's tough going, but we've seen it with Mark and Jye. It's a game of inches and there's nowhere to hide," McDonald said.
"(Coffey) is tougher than most of us. It's like a grand final for us jockeys and trainers. This is the race that stops the nation, so we'd get up for anything."
The Cup shapes as a showdown between master trainers O'Brien and Maher, who will saddle half of the capacity 24-horse field between them.
Two-time winner O'Brien has five contenders in a powerful hand from the northern hemisphere, while red-hot local Maher has a record seven in his bid for a second Cup triumph.
"You strive to win these great races, but it's not easy, especially when they're so star-studded as this," legendary trainer Gai Waterhouse said.
"Joseph brought a wonderful group of horses ... and Ciaron's like Alexander the Great at present - everything's falling before him."
Waterhouse and co-trainer Adrian Bott will have the equal oldest horse in the race with nine-year-old Vauban, a fourth-time runner and considered a long-shot, while Hopewell Rock is the best-backed contender to beat the Maher and O'Brien contingents.
"I'm pretty excited," Hopewell Rock's trainer George Boughey said.
"He's has travelled over great, he looks fantastic, and he actually looks better than when he left. The guys have been doing a super job.
"It's a strong field, as it always is, and I was pleased to see us draw where we did.
"(Barrier) 15 will probably suit his running style. He doesn't need to go forward, so we'll just take our time."
Jamie Melham will attempt to become the first female jockey to win back-to-back Cups, having secured a start with outsider Future History ($51).
