The powerful Godolphin stable has found itself with two runners in the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup, giving Kerrin McEvoy the chance to win the race for the second time.
McEvoy had thought he would have to relinquish the ride on Campanologist to Frankie Dettori when Holberg looked unlikely to make the field but he scraped in at number 24.
The winner of the Cup in 2000 on Brew, McEvoy only came back to race riding a couple of weeks ago after fracturing a vertebra in a fall in June.
The injury did not need surgery but he was in a body brace for nine weeks.
"It wasn't until late September, early October that I began thinking I was a chance to ride in the Cup," McEvoy said.
"It hasn't given me a lot of pain since the first week and once the good races started coming up on the TV the fire in the belly started and that's what got me here.
"I was telling Frankie how Holberg had no chance of making the field but it was remarkable how it dropped away yesterday."
With Dettori riding in England until Saturday, McEvoy rode both horses in their final pieces of work at the Werribee quarantine centre late last week and was happy with the two.
McEvoy spent some years riding for Godolphin in Europe before returning to Australia when Sheikh Mohammed expanded his Darley Australia operation with the acquisition of Bob Ingham's racing and breeding interests.
He rode Campanologist to his maiden win which came at the horse's his third start as a two-year-old over 1637m at Haydock in September 2007.
"He looks in great order. He's full of energy and he's bright and happy," McEvoy said.
McEvoy, who rode Godolphin's Crime Scene into second place behind Shocking in last year's Cup is happy to be riding Campanologist who won two successive Group One races in Germany in July-August before finishing third to Dangerous Midge in the Arc Trial (2217m) at Newbury on September 17.
"The weight shied a few people away from him, he's got 56kg but he is quality performed," McEvoy said.
"Most of his form is on better ground but he has won on soft ground this time in and he's a horse that can go forward and take up a position so from that barrier (19) he'll be cruising forward."
McEvoy said Campanologist was his pick of the pair on looks and being a big individual he would handle the weight.
He said Holberg ran quicker sectionals than Campanologist in his gallop.
"He's a smaller horse than Campanologist but he really did tow me around the track the other morning and gave me the feel he's travelled out well.
"He's got a nice weight (53.5kg) and nice profile as well. He's got a nice barrier (10) so all being well they can both run nice races."
Holberg has won six of his 12 starts including the Group Three Queen's Vase (3200m) at Royal Ascot in June last year and is a last-start winner of the Listed Foundation Stakes (1985m) at Goodwood on September 3.
Another incentive for both McEvoy and Dettori is the attendance of Sheikh Mohammed at this year's Cup.
The stable has run second three times with Central Park (1999), Give The Slip (2001) and Crime Scene (2009) and third with Beekeeper (2002).
