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A start for favourite Mugatoo in The Metropolitan remains clouded after he was given a 1kg penalty today for his Newcastle Gold Cup victory last Friday.

The penalty, announced by the RacingNSW chief handicapper, lifts the six-year-old's weight to 57kg for the $750,000 Group 1 feature to be run over 2400m at Royal Randwick on Saturday week.

Mugatoo  carried 59kg in scoring at Newcastle over 2300m, but it was a Group 3 race with a 54kg minimum.

His Metropolitan weight means he will carry 7kg above the 50kg minimum if he lines up.

"I'm disappointed," trainer Kris Lees said this afternoon. "I didn't expect him to get anything at all.

"I'll talk it over with the guys from Australian Bloodstock, but at this stage nothing has been decided about running him in The Metropolitan.

"There are a couple of other options if we don't go to that race.

"There is the Hill Stakes on the same program at Randwick, and also the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington that day."

Both races are at 2000m and worth $500,000. The Hill Stakes is a Group 2 contest run at weight-for-age, whilst the Group 1 Turnbull – which Lees won with Lucia Valentina in 2014 – is a set weights plus penalties event.

Only eight horses contested last year's Hill Stakes, won by Verry Elleegant from Samadoubt and Life Less Ordinary.

Mugatoo has firmed to $2.80 with TAB.com.au for The Metropolitan following his Newcastle Cup triumph, notching his third win from as many starts – the others were in the Listed Winter Challenge (1500m) and Group 3 Premiers Cup (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens – this campaign.

Interestingly, the Racing Victoria handicapper chose not to penalise Mugatoo for either the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 or Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 3. He has 53.5kg in both races.

The $5m wfa Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24 looms as another option for Mugatoo's connections.

Mugatoo's stablemate and current The Metropolitan 59kg topweight Mustajeer ($26) won't be starting.

"In spite of his wide barrier, I thought he was plain last Saturday," Lees said, referring to Mustajeer's 15th of 16 runners in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.

However, game mare Attention Run ($51), placed in the last two Newcastle Cups, has 50kg and is a definite contender.

Another stablemate Raheen House ($26), with 54.5kg, is a possible runner.

"I nominated Raheen House for the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday, but I might not start him," Lees said.