Champion jockey James McDonald made his second trip to Werribee this week to partner emerging stayer Meydaan, and the leading rider walked away even more confident about the four-year-old’s prospects heading towards Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup 2025.

While McDonald’s immediate focus is on Golden Eagle (1500m) favourite Autumn Glow at Randwick on Saturday, Meydaan remains firmly on his mind after another sharp 1400-metre piece of work on Thursday morning.

“I can’t wait,” McDonald said.

“He’s done really, really well.”

Meydaan produced a luckless run when finishing ninth in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 18, though he still finished within five lengths of the winner and Cup favourite Half Yours.

“He has come through Caulfield really well,” McDonald said.

“Even when you feel him he doesn’t seem like the type of horse suited to Caulfield and I think that was evident on his run as well so getting back to the big stretches of Flemington, I think you’ll see a really good version of him.

“He can’t be any fitter, he can’t look any better, he can’t feel any better, so he’ll have every opportunity to run as good a race in the Melbourne Cup as he can.

“I’m quietly excited that he’s a nice, progressive horse on the way up.”

Meydaan is currently rated a $15 chance for Tuesday’s race.

“He’s nicely weighted with the 54½-kilos and he’s got the speed of a mile-and-a-half horse and in this day and age that is probably the type of horse that you need for a Melbourne Cup,” McDonald said.

The possibility of rain in the lead-up to Melbourne Cup Day is not causing any concern.

“I’d be worried if it became heavy but Flemington is always in such pristine order that is probably won’t be heavy,” he said.

“He’s a good horse, this.”

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