Bezel is primed to take on the 2000-metre feature in town on Saturday and Smith believes his stable star will be there when the whips are cracking.

But where Distinctive Look finds himself among the 18-horse field is anyone’s guess, including Smith’s.

The six-year-old is a favourite at his Mudgee base, in fact Smith credits Distinctive Look with putting his stable on the map following his 2017 victory in the $150,000 Central District Racing Association Country Championship qualifier at Wellington.

But the bay gelding’s form since that victory has been up and down, and as such Smith says he’s basically rolling the dice with Distinctive Look on Saturday.

With a whopping $125,000 purse who wouldn’t?

“I’ve had a few people suggest to me the horse should look at being retired, but at home he’s a flying machine. Nothing keeps up with him,” Smith said.

“There’s really no indications at home as to why he’s got a couple of bad performances.

“It’s a roll of the dice at this stage with him until we get our head around him. He’s a head-scratcher, but that’s the way it’s been with him since we’ve had him.

“He’s older and wiser and we’re running out of tricks with him to keep him switched on.

“That’s why we keep persevering, his track work is first class and (after running fourth) at Muswellbrook I asked (jockey) Ashley Morgan ‘do you think it’s time to give up on him?’ And he said going off the back of that run there’s no way in hell, he’s still got that ability.”

As does Bezel.

The five-year-old is a former Godolphin-owned gelding that saluted at Kensington for Smith in just his third start for his new trainer earlier this year.

In that run over 1550m Bezel beat home four Chris Waller horses, the best of which was Seaway, a horse that’s now running in Group 2 races.

Smith believes Bezel is "the ideal candidate” for The Country Classic.

“He’s been set for it. The set-weight conditions really help him out. That’s why this has been his main target,” he added.

“And (jockey Jean Van) Overmeire rides him so well.”

Overmeire’s two-kilogram claim will mean Bezel carries 55kg for Saturday’s race, which is a far cry from the 64.5kg the highly-rated gelding lugged at Warren for the Cotton Cup.

Bezel also has a handy three-wins-from-four-starts record third-up during his 20-start career, with Saturday’s run his third start this prep: “All signs are pointing to him running well,” Smith added.

The $125,000 The Country Classic (2000m) jumps at 4.20pm on Saturday at Rosehill Gardens. Gorree Park trainer Mack Griffith has Most Exalted in the field as well.