Early Queensland Derby favourite Survived will get the chance to show what all the fuss is about when he kicks off his winter campaign in the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate (2100m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The New Zealand gelding completed the first part of his journey from Hastings to Auckland on Tuesday and will fly to Brisbane on Thursday ahead of his Australian debut.

“Survived travelled beautifully to Auckland and tucking into feed…looking forward to Brisbane,” trainer John Bary said on twitter.

The son of Zed is a $6 top fancy for the Queensland Derby on June 8 and is likely to start a clear favourite in the traditional lead-up race this weekend.

Bary said Survived is likely to have just the one Derby warm-up, meaning he will contest Queensland’s biggest three-year-old race on the back of a four-week break.

Skipping the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) on May 25 is not the most traditional approach but Bary is an experienced and proven horseman.

The Hastings trainer prepared star galloper Jimmy Choux to win the Rosehill Guineas and run second in the Cox Plate and has already seen Survived claim five of seven starts.

In the Rough Habit he will be chasing a fifth straight win after dominating his Kiwi rivals in recent times.

Survived was last seen dishing out a 4 1/2 length thrashing in the Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) and the start before defeated fellow Queensland Derby contender Usainity.

Usainity, from the stable of top Kiwi trainer Murray Baker, will also contest the Rough Habit after showing his ability to perform in Australia with a Frank Packer Plate win at Randwick last month.

Usainity is the third favourite in the Queensland Derby market at $10, with Gai Waterhouse-trained stayer Hippopus splitting the pair of Kiwis at $6.50.