Saturday's Cox Plate was the last place bloodstock agent James Harron thought he would be with the first $1 million son of Snitzel he bought for Edmund Bateman.

"We go to the yearling sales looking for colts that are stallion prospects, and that means trying to win a Golden Slipper," Harron said. "This bloke was bought to do that but has taken a different path. No one would have thought at the beginning of the spring we would be here – definitely not me."

It has cost $130,000 more in a late entry for Wandjina to attempt to match another three-year-old son of Snitzel's deeds of 12 months ago in Shamus Award, which was always coming off a third in the Caulfield Guineas. But it might be his time.

He could join the list of supposed speed machines to find their calling later in life. Famously Subzero was bought as a Magic Millions type and ended up a Melbourne Cup winner, while Benicio won a Victoria Derby in 2005, six months after what was supposed to be his calling in the Golden Slipper.

"The most important thing in a horse is to have speed," Wandjina's trainer, Gai Waterhouse, said. "He has always had it. He just needed to learn how to manage it. He is probably a miler, but milers win Cox Plates.

"He was the fastest yearling I had and then the fastest two-year-old, but it has taken until now to put it all together. The speed is something that they have to have though, and he has it."

Wandjina is nine runs into his career and the return on investment has been poor.

He has just one midweek win at Warwick Farm and just over $161,000 in stakes. He finally showed the speed he had when coming from last in the Caulfield Guineas to run third.

"He ran in a Breeders Plate and was shin-sore after the race. He was there because he was very fast," Harron said. "We thought that would come out as a two-year-old and just do it, but he just never put it together.

"I thought the Danehill Stakes was going to be his day but it has taken to now for him to relax in his races. I have to say I never thought the Cox Plate would be his race.

"What's happened now is he is relaxed in his races and showing his turn of foot at the end.

"Looking at the family, he should be a sprinter-miler, but some of his close relations have got over a mile. It looks like the 2000 metres around the Valley will suit perfectly because he can use the turn of foot."

What would a win in the Cox Plate mean? Three-year-olds that have won in the past 20 years have proved to be successful at stud. The impressive list includes Octagonal, Savabeel and So You Think.

"That's good company," Harron said. "He has got lovely length and is a beautiful angled horse. The reason he brought the money as yearling was his conformation was outstanding.

"He is just quality from head to toe."

Waterhouse has been waiting for Wandjina to find his form, but she is not discounting her group 1 winning three-year-old Almalad, which failed in the Caulfield Guineas.

"It is exciting to see a young horse like [Wandjina] put it together," Waterhouse said. "He goes to the races on the way up and could be a little closer than in the Guineas.

"Almalad is a different horse altogether. He is a laid-back type and this has always been his race.

"He could have even been a Derby horse but we thought he would be up to them in the Cox Plate and he will improve."