Craig Williams admits he flinched when his Caulfield Cup mount Dandino drew a wide gate but he is confident the international raider is the right horse for Saturday's $2.5 million race.

Williams is chasing his third straight victory in the Caulfield Cup and he showed last year on Dunaden that an outside barrier can be overcome.

"His form suggests to me he is the right form horse to come from Europe for our Group One handicap races," Williams said on Thursday.

"I did flinch when draw 19 came up, so it just means he is going to need a lot more luck in the early part of the race.

"But he gives me great confidence going into the race, even from the wide draw."

Dandino will come in three gates to barrier 16 if the emergencies don't gain a start.

Williams said Dandino, whose last race was his win in the American St Leger on August 17, appears to be more versatile than Dunaden when it comes to tactics for the big race.

"He responds very well to his riders so it gives me more confidence I can do a lot more things with Dandino in regard to tactics than the set plan we had last year with Dunaden," Williams said.

"On paper there looks to be pressure - like every Caulfield Cup - from the first turn but from then on it's how slow they go for the next six furlongs."

Nick Hall is riding the sole Lloyd Williams entry Fawkner who has never been tested over the 2400-metre Caulfield Cup distance.

But he showed enough in his third placing over the 2000 metres of the Turnbull Stakes to indicate it might not be beyond him.

"He's a different horse from last prep - I think it's a coming-of-age thing," Hall said.

Hall said he suggested to Williams that Fawkner be tried over longer than his established pet distance of 1600 metres this spring.

"So we had a go at the Turnbull and here we are," Hall said.

Fawkner is a half-brother to Tanby who won last year's Group Two Zipping Classic over 2400 metres with Hall aboard.