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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Leah Gavranich made it known who her stable favourite is soon after Know Thyself won his way into the Evergreen Turf Country Championships Final via the Wild Card at Scone on Friday.

And she's confident he is a live chance to win that $1 million race after he demolished his 15 rivals in trying conditions.

It was how the script was supposed to go when Gavranich and co-trainer Paul Messara ventured to Tamworth to qualify but had to settle for fifth as an odds-on favourite.

“I love this horse, I named him, this is my number one,’’ Gavranich said.

Paul Messara, Leah Gavranich, Aaron Bullock and John Messara after Know Thyself's win at Scone (Pic: Bradley Photos).

“He is an absolute ripper. As you could see from his trials this prep he’s taken a little bit to get going.

“He was a little bit lacklustre so we put the blinkers on at Tamworth, I think he probably just needed the run. He probably didn’t need the shades.

“You obviously saw a different horse today and he’ll be even better again come the final.”

Know Thyself gives Gavranich and Messara two strong chances at Randwick on April 5 as the gelding joins Intervarsity, who won the Tamworth race two weeks ago, in the field.

TAB reacted by lifting him to second favourite at $4 behind Coonamble winner Gallant Star.

Gavranich said he was aided by the race being run on a heavy 10 and gave jockey Aaron Bullock a tongue in cheek reprimand then glowing praise for negotiating the right path.

“I think he probably rode him a bit too pretty at Tamworth, he drew 17 and somehow he found the fence,’’ she said.

“And it was a bit of a muddling tempo which didn’t really suit him. He was caught wide (this time) but always had momentum coming into the straight, I thought he waited a bit too long to get going.

“I thought ‘Aaron just let him rip please’. But a 20 out of 10 from Aaron, he kept him out of trouble and the horse did the rest.”

Bullock said he was keen to keep Know Thyself out of trouble, given what happened at Tamworth and with the better ground out beyond the middle of the track.

He’s always had a high opinion of the four-year-old, who has now won four from seven, and said he was a class above them in the Wild Card.

“We jumped in the middle of the pack, got into a good spot,’’ Bullock said.

“It was easy work, he did the rest. He loves the wet.

“The race didn’t work to plan at Tamworth, it was leader biased and run that slow so we had to come here for round two.

“Second-up he definitely was a lot better and it was good to get the job done.”

All the results and replays from Friday’s Scone meeting