A wide barrier is not an ideal scenario, but co-trainer Ben Pearce is confident Manavendra is good enough to overcome it in Sunday’s Esperance Cup.

Interstate raider Numerian staked his claim for Perth Cup (2400m) bragging rights with a convincing win in the Group 2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes (2100m) at Ascot this afternoon, launching his Perth debut in the best way possible.