A long-time bad boy of the Chris Waller stable, Weary has turned over a new leaf.

And all because of his latest equine bromance.

Waller has paired the enigmatic gelding with Permit, a multiple stakes winner for the stable who was retired earlier this year and retrained as a lead pony.

Permit replaces Dunlop, Weary's former beau, and the new partnership has been an instant hit.

"Weary likes Permit better than Dunlop," Waller said.

"He hasn't put a foot wrong this campaign.

"Permit is a last-start winner and he can talk about that with the little horses and the bad horses."

Weary is just as renowned for his mood swings as he is for his talent.

Group One placed in last year's Doncaster Mile, the horse will embark on his latest campaign at Randwick on Saturday in the Group Two Missile Stakes (1200m).

Waller is hoping the influence of Permit will prompt Weary to bring his best form to the races, as he did first-up last campaign when he swept home from midfield to win the Expressway Stakes in January.

A solid third to Contributer followed, then Weary appeared to lose interest and was unsighted in three subsequent autumn runs.

His campaign was revived in Brisbane where he finished second to Pornichet in the Group One Doomben Cup, an effort that gave Waller pause for thought.

"He went missing and then he came back," Waller said of Weary's autumn form.

"He's a very hard horse to analyse.

"But he came good when he was stepped up to 2000 metres last preparation, so maybe he was ready for that distance earlier than when we tried him over it."

It is a theory Waller will put to the test during the spring.

Weary will be aimed at the Group One Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in October, a race his trainer says will determine subsequent carnival plans for the horse who holds entries for the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup.

But first, the Missile Stakes awaits.

In an open betting race in which bookmakers have marked six of the nine runners at single-figure odds, Weary is a $4.80 second pick.

The Hawkes Racing-trained Messene is a $3 favourite to go one better than his second to Sweet Idea in the corresponding race 12 months ago.