Cox Plate-winning apprentice Chad Schofield is on standby to ride Kingdoms in the Melbourne Cup should he qualify with a win in Saturday's Lexus Stakes at Flemington.

Kingdoms survived a protest to win the Listed Tattersall's Club Cup (2400m) at Randwick last start and O'Shea believes he'll be a better horse racing in the Melbourne direction.

The winner of the Lexus Stakes (2500m) is exempt from ballot for next Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.

"If he won he'd be running in the Cup," O'Shea said.

"We've got Chad Schofield on standby."

O'Shea believes Kingdoms, who was placed in the Australian Derby in the autumn, has the right profile for Saturday's race and was pleased with his solo gallop at Flemington on Tuesday morning.

"All the Melbourne stayers have sort of been racing each other and he's the fresh form line," O'Shea said.

"He handled Flemington really well and if anything that way of going suits him.

"He's a progressive young stayer who is coming right at the right time."

The four-year-old was gelded after his three-year-old year and his Tattersall's Cup win was his second from 11 starts.

He has just 50kg in the Melbourne Cup and is among 25 nominations for the Lexus.

Kingdoms will be ridden by James McDonald on Saturday.