A disastrous lead-in campaign that threatened to derail trainer Chris Waller's best-laid spring plans for Manzoice came together when it mattered as the colt scored a stunning Victoria Derby win.
In a true staying performance, Manzoice was the last horse left standing as he overhauled New Zealand star Sharp 'N' Smart in the shadows of the famous Flemington winning post.
But it almost never happened as Manzoice struggled for form in a Derby build-up, plagued by poor barriers and waterlogged tracks in Sydney.
And it seemed Manzoice's spring luck had run out completely as he lost touch with the leaders heading into the straight with jockey Michael Dee looking for a way to get clear.
As Dee was trying to find the room he needed on his mount, the favourite Sharp 'N' Smart ($2.90) shot clear and was being hailed the winner.
But with Manzoice coming into his own the further he got into the race, he rallied brilliantly before reeling in Sharp 'N' Smart to score a half-length victory.
Aberfeldie Lad, a $101 chance, finished third, 1-1/4 lengths further back.
Manzoice was mostly ignored as a $21 chance but he carried the confidence of Australia's best stable into the race.
"It has been the plan all the way through and things haven't gone his way from wide draws and wet tracks," Waller's assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said.
"But we stuck solid with the plan that we set out to do."
Dee, who teamed up with Waller to win the Caulfield Cup on Durston, said the race unfolded as he expected when the field settled.
But he thought his cause was a lost one as Sharp 'N' Smart set up what appeared to be a winning lead.
"I was very happy early and then the tempo came out of the race somewhat," Dee said.
"And it got a bit tricky there. From about the mile onwards, we were getting pushed around by horses inside and out."
Waller is celebrating his second Victoria Derby success and he revisited his first win in the race to put the finishing touches to Manzoice's campaign.
The champion trainer employed the same gear change - a set of side winkers - he used on Preferment to bring out the best in his latest winner.
"He doesn't know what he is there for," Duckworth said of the sparingly raced three-year-old.
"Which is why he has the winkers on. Chris did the same with Preferment.
"Maybe it is the magic winkers, because they got the job done today."
