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Newcastle trainer Kris Lees will sit on the fence for as long as possible before electing where his Brisbane Cup winner Sixties Groove will start his spring campaign this week.
Lees will accept with Sixties Groove in both Friday's $160,000 Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) and the $250,000 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.
He will then decide which path to take after studying the fields.
Sixties Groove is the 61kg topweight for the Listed Wyong Cup and would have to carry 59kg under the weight-for-age conditions of the G2 Chelmsford Stakes.
"His Wyong Cup weight is about what I expected," Lees said. "We'll have a look at both fields after they come out on Wednesday and then make a decision which way to go."
Lees has nominated six horses for the Wyong Cup – a race he won for the first time in 2016 with Slow Pace. He intends having at least three starters from Sixties Groove, High Opinion, Loveisili, Mongolian Wolf, Hallelujah Boy and Our Gravano.
Slow Pace was owned by Australian Bloodstock and Sixties Groove, Loveisili and Mongolian Wolf all race for the leading Newcastle-based syndicators.
The powerful Chris Waller stable also has six Wyong Cup nominations, giving him the numbers to win the race for the seventh time since 2010.
His runners will come from last start Taree Cup winner Hogmanay, last Saturday's Rosehill winner Wu Gok , Brimham Rocks, Exoteric, Vaucluse Bay and Dagny.
Kiwi stayer Blue Breeze arrived in Sydney on Monday and is set to open his Australian campaign in the Wyong Cup.
Trainer Allan Morley had Blue Breeze, a last start winner over 1400m at Pukekohe, sent straight to a Wyong stable to settle in after his arrival.
The 6YO was up with the best NZ stayers last season when he finished second in the G2 Avondale Cup (2400m) and third in the G1 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie.
Three-time Wyong Cup winner Gai Waterhouse and her training partner Adrain Bott have nominated Stampede and Japanese import Hush Writer.
Other notable Wyong Cup entries include the Godolphin import Duca Valentinois, the Kim Waugh-trained Our Century and Joe Pride's 2017 winner Destiny's Kiss.
