Hugh Bowman doesn't have a clue if Royal Descent will be the one; the horse which will finally help the man widely regarded as Australia's best on horseback - nine group 1 wins last season alone is a testament to that - scramble into elite company.

It seems the only question to be answered about Bowman now is when will the right opportunity come along to win one of Australia's big four? Still an anomaly for a man - perhaps figuratively and in some cases literally - head and shoulders above most of his peers in recent years.

"I guess given my profile I'm getting more opportunities now," the laconic Bowman said. "And even though I'm getting opportunities it doesn't mean I'm going to get the right one."

He reasons he only had his first Melbourne Cup ride in 2009 - and even then there has only ever been a handful of horses he could link with given the weight scale for the big handicaps. The compressed weights and internationalisation of the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in recent years have been both a plus and minus. He has been available for more mounts, but picking the right one has turned into a lottery. "When I was progressing through the ranks there were three or four horses with enough weight and now basically the whole field has got enough weight," Bowman said.

"To get a ride is still fantastic, but to land on the right horse on the right day to be perfectly honest [involves a lot of luck]. There's horses coming from everywhere and you can't pick. Most times you won't be able to pick [the right horse] until the race."

Will the Gerry Harvey-owned Royal Descent, gunning for back-to-back stakes wins in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick on Saturday, help him chalk off one of the big three in Melbourne? Bowman doesn't know - and couldn't even guarantee you which race she will be tailored to. An opportunity will present itself, nevertheless.

"Obviously I'd love to stay with her, but I'm not sure what her goal is and like [trainer] Chris [Waller] does we'll take it race by race," Bowman said. "I think she was racing as good as she had been racing before. She was well prepared and she looked great and my understanding is she has come on since that. Things are looking up for her."

No doubt even more when an overnight downpour on Thursday night plunged the Randwick track into the heavy range, perhaps crystallising Royal Descent as the pick of Waller's 11-strong army in the Chelmsford.

Having beaten up on a similar field in the Warwick Stakes a fortnight ago, Royal Descent will be seeking to end the most unluckiest of runs over the Randwick mile where she has been placed on all six occasions without winning - her last effort a third in April's Doncaster Mile to stablemate Kermadec, another rival on Saturday.

"I think the ball is in her court again like the other day and obviously Kermadec was an eye-catcher [in the Warwick Stakes], but I think he would have to improve a great deal to turn the tables on her," Bowman said. "With even luck I would like to think she will be the one to beat. It will be a similar race to the Warwick Stakes and it looks like a similar field. There have been a couple added of course, but more so stayers resuming."

Godolphin's fresh-on-the-scene Hartnell was a $3.30 favourite with Ladbrokes on Friday evening, but Bowman is hoping to expose chinks in the armour of John O'Shea's The BMW winner in his return to the races. "His trial was there for everyone to see," Bowman said. "He's obviously a quality horse, but he's just starting his preparation and there's no substitute for match fitness. He's going to be vulnerable - there's no question about that - but he's certainly a quality animal and deserves a lot of respect."