Williams, a four-time winner of the great race, has reportedly strengthened the already powerful troop by purchasing a share in three top-liners from the Coolmore operation in Ireland, all of whom are entered for the Cup.

They include English St Leger winner Bondi Beach, a rapidly improving three-year-old, and Kingfisher, a four-year-old who was a narrow and unlucky second in the 4000-metre Ascot Gold Cup at the Royal meeting in June.

Williams is also reported to have taken a share in Order Of St George, who triumphed in the Irish St Leger on September 13 by a massive 11 lengths.

Japanese challengers Fame Game and Hokko Brave arrived here on Saturday night and have gone into quarantine at Werribee. They will be joined soon by a group of raiders at present stabled at Newmarket in England.

"The  11 horses coming from Newmarket are halfway through their quarantine period," Greg Carpenter, the VRC's chief handicapper, said on Sunday. "They will arrive in Melbourne next Saturday. They will also be joined by Super One, the star sprinting three-year-old from Singapore. That will be a total of 14 horses in the first batch of quarantine.

"The second round have to go into quarantine by next Saturday at the latest, and they will arrive in Melbourne by October 10."

The likes of Coolmore, Godolphin, French trainer Antoine de Watrigant (who handles the Australian OTI Thoroughbreds-owned Gailo Chop) Peter Chapple-Hyam, English Derby winning trainers Michael Bell and Roger Charlton, jumps maestro Willie Mullins, multiple champion UK trainer Michael Stoute and perennial visitor Ed Dunlop are all set to have runners over the carnival.

"We are getting very strong indications from the Aidan O'Brien team that they will travel up to four horses, including Bondi Beach and could have runners in the Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate and another runner for feature races like the Mackinnon and the Emirates. The decision will be made during the week," Carpenter said.

"The two we are reasonably confident will travel for the Cup are Bondi Beach and Kingfisher. That decision has to be made by the end of the week.

"We are really positive about Godolphin and they may travel up to five horses. Sky Hunter [second on Saturday night in an Arc trial at Newbury] has got 54 in the Cup, while Secret Number has got 52.5  He won first-up for a year last weekend in a listed race at Chester. And they have two really talented horses down towards the minimum weight. One is  Elhaame, and also Wadi Al Hattawi, who is a last-start winner.

"They understand that those horses are not guaranteed a run in the Cup, but they seem very keen to travel them and take their chance on winning a race like the Lexus if they don't get into the Cup, or  running into the Sandown Classic at the end of the carnival.

"One of either Elhaame and Wadi Al Hattawi might go to  the Lexus, the other to the McKinnon to try to get into the Cup."

Carpenter said  that, in addition to their Cups candidates, Coolmore is likely to bring at least one Cox Plate contender - Highland Reel.

"They look like bringing Highland Reel and Ol' Man River,  or they might even bring a horse like Cougar Mountain [a sprinter-miler]  for an Emirates. All those decisions have to be made this week and all those horses have to be in quarantine at the end of the coming week.

With the likes of Red Cadeaux, Max Dynamite, Royal Ascot winner Snow Sky, Quest For More, a Northumberland Plate victor, Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris and Goodwood Cup victor Big Orange pencilled in for the trip it's hardly surprising that RV officials are excited about the spring carnival.

"On Friday, Gailo Chop, who is an invited horse for the Cox Plate, won La Coupe at Maison Laffitte by four lengths under a very soft ride by Christoph Soumillion. He is definitely coming for the Cox Plate, as should Arod, Peter Chappel-Hyam's four-year-old," Carpenter added.

And what of the Japanese? "Both of them are in the higher echelon of stayers in Japan, and we know that  will make them highly competitive here," he said.