Win and you're in: Fellowes out to earn spot in the Cup with A Prince Of Arran

2.40 Flemington
Lexus Stakes (Group 3 Handicap) | 3yo+ | turf | 1m4½f

Charlie Fellowes is in something of a strange position. He has the favourite for the Group 3 Lexus Stakes at Flemington on Saturday – worth around £105,000 to the winner – which would normally be a good thing, but he does not want to run.

That is because he has his eye on the Lexus Melbourne Cup three days later, with a first prize of around £2,300,000. At the moment the horse in question, Prince Of Arran, is effectively number 28 on the order of entry after Duretto was ruled out, with 24 spots up for grabs.

Red Verdon's setback on Thursday has the potential to bump him up another spot, but he would still need another four to come out as the winner of Saturday's Lexus Stakes is guaranteed a run.

So the Newmarket trainer has decided it may as well be his horse, who has an 'A' in front of his name on Australian racecards, that locks up a guaranteed spot.

Fellowes said: "He's in really good form and looks perfect, the race looks ideal, he's got a good draw and hopefully he can go and win and guarantee his spot in the big one.

"I have a feeling we're not going to make it so it looks like our only way in is to win on Saturday, and Michael Walker keeps the ride. He's the favourite and on his run at Caulfield has to go there with a massive chance.

"I think the mile and a half is perfect. There are a few ex-European horses in there, but you compare their English form and his is much, much stronger, so hopefully he's the one to beat."

On backing up three days later over an extra half-mile, he added: "It's not ideal, it's not the way I'd have wanted it to pan out but he's grown up a lot this year and if there was any horse in my yard I was going to try to back up three days later he'd be one of the picks as he does take his racing very well, but I'd much rather not be running.

"We're not 100 per cent to run. If it looked like we could get into the big one we'd skip it, but at the moment it looks like he'll have to run and he's being trained for the race."

The five-year-old would face 12 rivals, with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's Geelong Cup winner Runaway the only horse with a place in the Cup field and all but Tally and Ladies First bidding to break the hearts of connections of the horse currently sitting at number 24 on the order of entry, Zacada.

Four Group 1s on stellar card

There are four Group 1s on the AAMI Victoria Derby (4.50) card, the only day of the spring carnival on which every race is for black type, with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's Thinkin' Big the only other runner who can earn his way into the Melbourne Cup field.

The three-length Group 3 Ladbrokes Classic winner would need to win and pick up enough of a penalty to leapfrog those above him on the order of entry to get into the race that stops a nation. He faces 16 rivals and is the 9-4 favourite from the James Cummings-trained Aramayo and Darren Weir's Extra Brut.

The Coolmore Stud Stakes (3.25) is not just a A$1 million race, as the Australian breeding industry's need for speed makes it something of a stallion-making contest.

Grahame Begg's Written By heads the market from Tony McEvoy's Sunlight, Chris Waller's Zousain and Lean Mean Machine, Cummings' Encryption, the Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes-trained Diplomatico and Steven O'Dea's Sesar, with all seven horses priced between $4.20 and $12. The remaining trio are $26 or bigger.

The winner of the Coolmore could well cover the victor in the mile Empire Rose Stakes (4.05). Weir's Thousand Guineas winner Amphitrite has won her last four and in Fundamentalist and Seabrook will face the second and third from the Guineas again, as well as the best of the older horses.

The final Group 1 on the card is the only one that is a handicap, the Kennedy Mile (5.35). Old favourite Hartnell meets his Toorak conqueror Land Of Plenty on 5lb better terms for a length and a quarter beating.

Weir's Verry Elleegant, favourite for next Thursday's VRC Oaks, runs in the Group 2 Mumm Wakeful Stakes – a race in which Jim Crowley will have a first taste of Flemington under race conditions aboard Qafila. He is not the only British-born jockey in action with the now Sydney-based Rachel King aboard Lanciato in the Group 2 The TAB Stakes (2.00).

Cummings has several good chances but picked Aramayo out as his best.

He said: "I'd like to think Aramayo's my best chance but he's in one of the hardest races. It's the equal richest three-year-old race in the spring so it would be a massive thrill if we were able to have some luck there.

"The guys have done a great job and we've got a bunch of horses going into the raceday, like Osborne Bulls and Ranier, so I'm looking forward to all of those."

Were Aramayo to win it would be a first Victoria Derby for the Godolphin team and Cummings added: "We've got him in great shape going into it and it looks like the sort of race that'll set up nicely for him stepping up to a mile and a half for the first time."

On Hartnell he added: "Hartnell's still got to be brave enough to carry the 59kg, but we think he's probably a half-length better at Flemington too. We can't have him any better."

Members can read the latest exclusive interviews, news analysis and comment available from 6pm daily on racingpost.com