MICK Burles forecast cult horse The Cleaner had improved a couple of lengths as he heads into tomorrow's Cox Plate.
Burles declared a "two to two and a half length improvement" in the The Cleaner when he spoke to TVN's Two Cups And Plate last night as he was shipping the horse from Tasmania.
He described as "unbelievable" the work this week of The Cleaner, dubbed The Lion Of Longford.
"I've never had this horse in such a good place," Burles said.
"I'm over the moon. I reckon he will find two to two and a half lengths from what he did in the JRA Cup."
Burles said UK horse Side Glance is a noted front runner, but he doubted whether he possessed the early tactical speed of The Cleaner.
He said he was hoping Steven Arnold can generate a "nice generous pace" before letting The Cleaner rip from the 800 metres.