But there is a comfortable confidence about John O'Shea that the seven-year-old has had an ideal platform to serve a reminder of his talent in the Group 2 $1 million Toyota Forklifts Shorts (1100m).
It's clear Lost And Running wasn't himself after being forced to miss last year's Everest and he didn't relish the wet tracks in the TJ Smith and All Aged Stakes in the autumn.
"We're really happy with him but we need to see him bring his A-game to the races and hopefully that's the case on Saturday,'' O'Shea said.
"We took our time and gave him a good foundation. A different strategy to start the campaign.
"He's had a bunch of negative days at the races in the last year, none of which were his own doing.
"The biggest thing for him was the wide barriers and the heavy tracks. We're about trying to get him healthy and we know when he's healthy he runs well."
Lost And Running ran fourth in the 2021 Everest but last year was scratched on the morning of the race, when second favourite, due to lameness.
He's at $26 in TAB's all-in Everest market and opened $10 in the Shorts, a race in which he started last spring with an eye-catching third behind Nature Strip.
O'Shea said his trials have shown he's in a good space and a repeat of such a performance would be a nice start to his bid for another Everest berth but isn't fazed if it comes down to needing to defend his Premiere Stakes win from second-up a year ago.
"I'm relaxed about it all,'' he said.
"If he runs well and we go to the Premiere and he runs like he did it will give us a better opportunity to negotiate a deal that's reflective of his chances of the race.
"If we go negotiating a deal too early it doesn't give us much bargaining power.
"We've got confidence in the horse and are inclined to be patient. If it develops it develops and if it doesn't he'll run in the Sydney Stakes on the same day (as the Everest)."
Five horses are currently locked in for the $20 million TAB Everest on October 14 and it's widely held that only three slots - TAB, ATC, Max Whitby & Neil Werrett - are currently open with the remaining slot holders Godolphin, Coolmore, Yulong and Chris Waller Racing looking internally first.
Wyong Cup winner Benaud has come through his win a couple of weeks ago in fine fettle and O'Shea sees no reason why he won't hold his form in the Group 3 $250,000 James Squire Kingston Town Stakes (2000m).
The grey has now won two of his past three starts, after going winless for almost two years, and he's eyeing the Group 1 Metropolitan (2400m) in two weeks.
"He's needed to draw a gate where he can use his gate speed and give himself a chance early, when he does that he runs well,'' O'Shea said.
"There was a bit of carnage in the race the other day (at Wyong) but he still had to run past the horse that was the horse to beat in the race so we were happy with what he did."
Benaud is on the $15 line in the Metropolitan with TAB.
Diamil failed to beat a runner home when he resumed in the Tramway but O'Shea is expecting a turnaround in the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) that will set him on the right path for the spring.
He remains in the TAB Epsom on 54kg though O'Shea said he's proven most effective over a shade further and a race like the Craven Plate (1800m) next month might be a nice target.
"He'll improve a lot. He's getting up to his trip, forget he went around the other day because he got back from the barrier on a dynamite leader's track where they walked in front,'' he said.
"If the circumstances of the race are any different on Saturday he's going to acquit himself well."
