A long-range plan to win the Caulfield Cup remains well and truly alive for the connections of Kings Will Dream after the barrier draw for the $5 million race.
Sourced from Europe, lightly raced Kings Will Dream made an instant impact in Australia with five straight wins earlier this year.
The last of those victories came in the Mornington Cup in March and it sealed a spring campaign aimed at winning the world's richest 2400m handicap race.
Kings Will Dream earned a Caulfield Cup ballot exemption for his Mornington win and the stayer has been kept on a mostly weight-for-age path to Saturday's race.
The Darren Weir-trained gelding has competed admirably without winning in Group One races but moved ahead of Youngstar as $5 favourite after Wednesday's barrier draw.
Kings Will Dream will start from gate five on Saturday if the emergencies don't gain a start in the capacity field of 18 plus two emergencies.
“We wanted four to eight so six is perfect,” Kings Will Dream's part-owner and syndicator Brad Spicer said.
“The horse has had a faultless preparation and the barrier draw was just another sign of it.
“So hopefully on Saturday we can get a nice run in transit, Craig (Williams) can do his job and we can get that Cup.
“… I feel he's got the right form but there's another five, six, seven runners in there with all great chances.”
Queensland Oaks winner Youngstar drew barrier 10 and could give Sydney's premier trainer Chris Waller his first Caulfield Cup and jockey Kerrin McEvoy his second, a decade after McEvoy won on Godolphin's All The Good.
“It was a great run in the Turnbull,” McEvoy said of Youngstar.
“We only got beaten a length by the great mare Winx so that's a good form line.
“I'm confident my mare can run well but she's going to have to because it's a great line-up of both international and local horses.”
The Aidan O'Brien-trained The Cliffsofmoher was at $6.50 after drawing barrier three while Godolphin's Saeed Bin Suroor-trained international visitor, top weight Best Solution ($15), has drawn 17.
“The draw wasn't so kind but it is what it is,” Best Solution's jockey Pat Cosgrave said.
“He's a straight-forward horse anyway. You can ride him wherever you want. So I'm not too worried.”
The Andrew Balding-trained Duretto, another international runner, has barrier one while Sole Impact has the outside gate.
Sole Impact is one of two Japanese runners, along with Chestnut Coat (barrier 13), and will be the first ride in a Group One race for South Australian-based Japanese apprentice Ryusei Sakai.
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