A reduced field means imported stayer Sanagas is set to make improvement in the Group One Caulfield Stakes on Saturday.

The gelding was scratched from the Turnbull Stakes last week following poor runs in his opening two races in Australia after arriving from the United States.

But jockey Brad Rawiller says the seven-year-old, who has won in Germany and the US, is ready to do better in the weight-for-age race at Caulfield.

Despite finishing 13th of 15 in the Group Two Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield first-up after a spell, Rawiller said he was encouraged by the effort.

"His first-up run I was really pleased with," Rawiller said. "He certainly did enough.

"The way the race was run, it didn't really give him a realistic chance.

"But going into the 2000 metres, it is a race that has dropped away now and I'm hoping he will show us a little bit more tomorrow."

The field has fallen away following the exit of Peter Moody's Manighar and the likely scratching of Moody's other horse Vatuvei.

Moody was forced to abandon Manighar's spring due to an knee injury and he is weighing up other options for Vatuvei.

"At this stage I'll probably pull him out and wait for the Cranbourne Cup on Sunday," he said of Vatuvei.

"That was the race I targeted for him but we weren't sure he'd get a run so we had to put him in on Saturday."

With Manighar's defection, New Zealand star Ocean Park is poised for back-to-back weight-for-age wins in Melbourne.

Ocean Park overcame a chequered passage to win the Underwood Stakes and he stifles Caulfield Stakes betting at $1.55 ahead of Sincero ($4.80).

Midas Touch's connections have told stewards they will employ a change of riding tactics.

The 2010 Irish Derby placegetter will be ridden "aggressively", making it almost certain he will take up the running.

Midas Touch is a $16 chance while Sanagas is the outsider of the field at $35.