Evergreen hoop Jeff Lloyd is confident he won't have egg on his face after vehemently insisting to Houtzen's connections they race the speedy Queenslander in The Everest.
In the immediate aftermath of Houtzen's one-length win in the Group III Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley last Friday night, trainer Toby Edmonds seemed far from convinced the filly should take her slot in the $10m The Everest.
But all that changed after receiving a glowing post-race report from Lloyd, the 56-year-old Brisbane-based former South African hoop.
Lloyd, who will ride at his lightest weight in five years at 51kg with Houtzen in The Everest, told Racenet he wouldn't end up with egg on his face at Randwick on October 14.
Houtzen, the Gold Coast Magic Millions winner, is $34 on Ladbrokes for the Everest but ageless riding marvel Lloyd is convinced the filly won't be just making up the numbers.
"I really stuck my neck out when I spoke to Toby and the owners after the race and told them I had a lot of confidence in her going to The Everest," Lloyd said.
"Some people weren't convinced about her win at Moonee Valley but I think she won with a lot of authority.
"I wasn't worried about the winning margin, I can tell you she had a lot left to give on the line.
"I really do have a lot of confidence in Houtzen and, as long as the rain stays away, I honestly think she is a chance in The Everest.
"Third-up will be perfect for her. She is certainly not a 30-1 hope or whatever it is they are saying."
After the dust settled on her Moonee Valley win, Edmonds and The Everest slot holders Aquis were more than happy to take Lloyd's recommendation.
While Edmonds was impressed by the Group I Moir Stakes win of Golden Slipper winner and The Everest contender She Will Reign, he says he isn't scared of any of Houtzen's Everest rivals.
"When I was interviewed directly after Houtzen's win at Moonee Valley, I hadn't spoken to Jeff and I hadn't really been able to analyse the race," Edmonds said.
"Jeff then told me that Houtzen could have really spaced them if he had wanted her to, he was very kind to her in the race.
"Mark my words, she will run very well with only 51kg in The Everest. A horse like Chautauqua is a champion but he has a much bigger weight and could be 15-20 lengths off us in the run.
"She Will Reign has now won a Group I as a three-year-old and she is very impressive.
"But I'm not frightened of anything in the race."
Brisbane's champion rider Lloyd is currently shedding the kilograms to ride Houtzen in The Everest and has so far dropped from 54kg to 52.5kg.
Lloyd says the remaining weight loss won't be an issue.
"People forget that I used to ride at 50.5kg when I was in Hong Kong, and my weight has only gone up since I've been in Australia," Lloyd said.
"It's certainly not like I've never been able to ride at that weight (51kg).
"I've really just got to cut down on what I eat in the next week or so, and also just eat stuff like fish and chicken and don't eat anything at all in between meals.
"I'm pretty sure I won't even have to have much of a sweat to make the weight."
Lloyd will fly south to have the final gallop on Houtzen before The Everest and says his riding tactics have not been pre-determined.
Clearly the filly will be near the lead, but Lloyd says she doesn't have to lead to win.
"She is not just a tearaway leader and she is not one-dimensional, it will all depend how the track is playing on the day," Lloyd said.
