While Saturday's group 1 $150,000 Memsie Stakes has attracted the "who's who" of hopeful spring contestants Sydney's leading trainer, Gai Waterhouse, has elected to avoid the race with one of her powerful team.
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The Randwick trainer will send dual group 1-winning Cosmic Endeavour to Melbourne on Saturday, but she will contest the $150,000 Cockram Stakes at group 3 level.
"We decided that the mare's race over 1200 metres would be a better option at this stage of her preparation than the Memsie," a spokesman for the Waterhouse stable said.
"We've got races like the Sir Rupert Clarke and the Toorak Hcp on her program but we thought this was an ideal starting point."
Kerrin McEvoy will come to Melbourne to ride mare Cosmic Endeavour, who is now a five-year-old and has won nearly $1.4 million in prizemoney, but under the set weights and penalties of the Cockram Stakes will have to lump 50 kilos.
However, the main drawcard will be undoubtedly the Memsie Stakes, which will be headed up by former Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner and stablemate Amralah, a Listed stakes winner in England who made his Australian debut in a Mackinnon Stakes last spring at Flemington.
The powerful Williams' stable, which prepares both horses, signalled it could have a stellar spring judging by the eye-catching winning performance of United States last Saturday at Moonee Valley.
While Waterhouse will have Cosmic Endeavour and three other stablemates engaged in other races on the program, Chris Waller will be represented with two runners on Saturday.
He will prepare the brave and tough Boban with Glyn Schofield on board and Weary another high-class galloper to be ridden by local jockey Craig Newitt.
"It appeared that his career was all over before he went to Brisbane. And in just two starts showed he was far from gone netting over $900,000 in stake money in his two starts up north," trainer Chris Waller said
"I'm very happy with both of them and they look ideally placed."
Peter Moody will have Hi World, a winner of two races, in Sydney during the autumn and is another competitor in an extraordinarily deep race.
Mackinnon Stakes winner Happy Trails continues his build-up to the spring having started in Adelaide recently and will have certainly benefited from that effort.
Queensland Derby winner Magicool and local Brisbane galloper Temple Of Boom add interesting dimensions to the 1400m weight-for-age.
Imported stayer Dandino will return for Darren Weir in the wfa event, as well as stablemate Prince Of Penzance, the winner of last year's Moonee Valley Cup.
Dandino has proved an excellent stayer in the past, and his 12-month break will not have hurt him in the build-up to the cups this year.
Local Smokin' Joey and Stratum Star are also nominated for the first weight-for-age event of the year and indeed add depth to an already exciting race.
VRC Oaks winner Set Square will make her spring debut.
As well the Peter Morgan prepared Trevieres an imported galloper who finished powerful second in the Toorak Hcp of 2013 makes his return to the race track on Saturday.
