Appleby agrees Dubhe's the one to beat in Sydney Cup as dream team reunite

6.50 Randwick
Schweppes Sydney Cup (Group 1 handicap) | 2m, 3yo+ | Sky

On the first Tuesday of November, Charlie Appleby and Kerrin McEvoy teamed up to win the Melbourne Cup for Britain. Now they reunite again with plenty of the locals already resigned to the Schweppes Sydney Cup heading in the same direction.

A field of 20 is set to line up for a Group 1 handicap worth £640,883 to the winner, but the betting is dominated by Godolphin's Dubhe, a recent easy Meydan victor now charged with giving his trainer a second Sydney Cup success following the win of Polarisation two years ago.

Appleby does not rank Dubhe alongside his Flemington hero Cross Counter, but he does fancy the lightly-raced four-year-old's chances in the historic two-mile prize.

"I can't give any negatives as everything is positive," said Appleby.

"We have been very lucky with our staying horses in Australia, Kerrin McEvoy rides and he runs off a nice weight, so his profile is good. In my opinion he goes there with a favourite's chance.

"I think he ticks the boxes. He will see the trip out well and the ground isn't going to be a problem. He is probably more a progressive staying handicapper, as opposed to a Gold Cup horse, but when horses go over, you never know where these staying types will plateau."

Charlie Appleby and Kerrin McEvoy seek to supplement Cross Counter's Melbourne Cup triumph when Dubhe contests the Sydney CupCredit: Vince Caligiuri (Getty Images)

Three of Dubhe's rivals, Shraaoh, Patrick Erin and Brimham Rocks, are trained by Chris Waller, but he approaches the race without bullishness.

Waller said: "I guess Shraaoh is our main chance but Kerrin jumped off him to ride Charlie Appleby's horse, as he did before the Melbourne Cup, when he jumped off Youngstar to ride Cross Counter. He's a pretty good judge."

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