Tasmanian stayer Norsqui has fulfilled a long-range plan by veteran trainer Walter McShane to win the Adelaide Cup.

McShane targeted the race a year ago after the gelding finished third in the Group Two event, one of the few feature races left in the calendar over the 3200 metres of the Melbourne Cup.

Sent out at $26 on Monday, Norsqui ran down Waratone ($15) inside the final 100 metres to win by half a length with Dame Claire ($9.50) another 1-1/2 lengths third just ahead of $5 favourite Kutchinsky.

"I've had some big thrills but this is the biggest," McShane said.

"We set out to do it (after) last year. It's taken a lot of work but we've done it.

"He ran a very good race last year and this time we programmed him to come here to win it.

"He had two good lead-ups in the little Cups at home."

The little Cups were last month's Group Three Hobart and Launceston Cups, both over 2400 metres.

Norsqui was an unlucky sixth at Hobart behind Hurdy Gurdy Man and got going late when fourth at Launceston in the race won by Geegees Blackflash.

McShane said the six-year-old had gained about 20kg and matured in the past 12 months.

Norsqui gained automatic qualification for the 2012 Caulfield Cup when he won the Mornington Cup earlier in the year but McShane pulled the pin when he felt the gelding wasn't going well enough in the spring to be competitive.

Jockey Chris Symons said Norsqui had improved and so had he.

"Walter's got him feeling terrific and a lot more relaxed," Symons said.

"I was fairly confident at the turn I had a fair bit of horse under me.

"Greg Eurell has been helping me with balancing my horses going around the turn instead of going too hard."

Group One winning trainer Eurell was a member of Australia's 1984 Olympic equestrian team.