He admitted it had been the challenge of winning the race with a dirt debutant that attracted him to the Classic rather than the seemingly-easier option of tackling the Mile.

Despite the uncertainty of not knowing how Starcraft will handle the track at the weekend, Makin all but dismissed the horse’s opponents in the race, saying he was “not afraid of any of them”.

“They’re nice horses but I don’t think they’re a Starcraft,” he said. “My guy has already achieved more than any of them have.

“Saint Liam is probably the one to beat but with horses like Borrego and Rock Hard Ten, if they are lining up with him on the turn then I don’t think they can go past him.

“Why wouldn’t I be confident? I’ve got a horse here!”

Makin, the managing partner in the Australian syndicate which owns last month’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner, said he wanted to “put the Antipodes on the map”.

“I’ve bought my Australian flag with me and if I win they might just run down the home straight and do ’a Flo-Jo’,” he continued.

“It was a lot of money to pay to run him but I am an old guy and this is not a dress rehearsal.

“He’s won five Group Ones from seven furlongs to a mile and a half and he is a very versatile horse.

"I suppose I wanted to give him one last challenge.

“I made my money betting on horses and this is probably the worst bet I have ever made.

“The way the ground on the turf track is shaping up to be soft means that running in the Mile would probably have really suited him but where is the challenge there? He’s already proved what he can do on the turf.

“I’ve had a terrific battle with common sense and finally stupidity won.”

The 68-year-old, who worked as a tipster and large-stakes backer in Hong Kong and Japan before retiring in 2001, said he was hopeful Starcraft would handle the dirt.

“He’s got big feet and people keep telling me that horses with big feet can’t go on dirt but I’d like to put that theory to the test!” he said.

“The horse worked for the first two years of his life on sand in Australia and his work rider always believed he was lengths better on it than on turf.

“A horse can work well on dirt without being able to race on it but we’ll just have to find out.

“If he handles it then he’ll win.

“The only other doubt I have is that he lost a little bit of weight on the journey. He just looks tucked up a little but he ate everything up this morning, the first time since he arrived, so that is a good sign.”