While he concentrates on winning the Caulfield Cup, Chris Waller will keep an eye on the staying feature at Randwick with a horse who is still in the Melbourne Cup entries.
Waller has leading contender Youngstar at Caulfield and the $2.25 favourite High Bridge in Saturday's Listed City Tattersalls Cup at Randwick with the former English hurdler coming off a fourth in the Group One Metropolitan Handicap.
He finished 1-1/2 lengths behind the winner, stablemate Patrick Erin who is first emergency for the Caulfield Cup a couple of hours later.
A good performance in the 2400m-staying feature at Randwick would be encouragement to keep going towards the Melbourne Cup but he would most likely have to win the Hotham Handicap on November 3 to get a start.
Waller is wary about a rain-affected track but confident the eight-year-old is fit and well.
"He ran very well in the Metropolitan," he said.
"He has come through that race well and he is a very fit horse now. It is hard to get a line on his wet track form but he has certainly won races on soft and heavy with some of those obviously being in jumping races.
"...he should be very hard to beat providing he copes with the track conditions."
Track manager Nevesh Ramdhani is pinning hopes of an upgrade from heavy to soft on a revised forecast.
"The forecast for rain has changed to later in the day. I'm confident if that's the case we will get to the soft range," he said.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Big Blue has also had success over jumps, albeit more recently than High Bridge.
Big Blue is backing up seven days after his all-the-way win in the $500,000 St Leger at Randwick which came after two hurdle wins in country Victoria.
Waller also runs last-start Port Macquarie Cup winner Exoteric but admits there are some questions about him at 2400m although he has won twice at 2200m..