"I'm getting a little bit more excited," Garry Algie said on Friday.
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Come 2.50pm on Saturday, the Canyonleigh grandfather will undoubtedly be a lot more excited.
That is when the field in the $1.3 million Kosciuszko (1200m) jumps on Everest Day at Randwick, with Algie the slot-holder for the Cody Morgan-trained and highly fancied Edit.
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The 73-year-old is barred from attending the race due to COVID-19 restrictions and will watch it from his home, surrounded by family and friends.
Since Algie discovered on September 9 that his $25 investment had earned him a spot in the world's richest country race, "the ride has been absolutely extraordinary", he said.
He added that Morgan and Luke Murrell - a director at Australian Bloodstock, which owns Edit - had been "absolutely sensational" after keeping him in the loop ahead of the big race.
"I feel like I'm one of the owners," he said.
Algie said Edit winning would be "life-changing" for him, as the aged pensioner believed he would pocket about $280,000 of the $685,000 first-place prize.
There's a decent chance that will happen. The five-year-old Kiwi gelding - to be ridden by Hugh Bowman - was second favourite, playing $5 for the win (TAB fixed odds).
I feel like I'm one of the owners.
- Garry Algie
In his last start, Edit came from last entering the home straight at Tamworth on September 27 and then mowed down the field to win comfortably over 1200m. It was his third win in career start seven.
Edit has drawn ideally in the 14-horse field, and will start from the seven barrier next to Morgan's other entrant, Ice In Vancouver (Tim Clark).
Ice In Vancouver, a four-year-old gelding, was paying $34 for the win (TAB fixed odds).
Tamworth-based Morgan is chasing is first triumph in the race.
After Edit's barnstorming Tamworth win, Morgan said the gelding could improve by another "four or five lengths".
The race favourite was the Keith Dryden-trained Handle The Truth (Nash Rawiller), who was paying $4.60 for the win (TAB fixed odds).
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