Surprise Baby winning the Adelaide Cup (Image: Atkins Photography)
It offers the winner a golden ticket into both the Cox Plate and the Caulfield Cup but at least one runner in Saturday's Feehan Stakes will use the race as a launchpad to an even bigger prize this spring.
Emerging stayer Surprise Baby will kick off an ambitious campaign in the Group 2 feature at The Valley, with trainer Paul Preusker reiterating the Melbourne Cup as his ultimate goal.
The son of Shocking won the Adelaide Cup in March before being narrowly denied Melbourne Cup ballot exemption when runner-up to Steel Prince in the Andrew Ramsden Stakes.
While he hopes to see the five-year-old hitting the line on Saturday, Preusker said it was a stepping stone in a campaign designed to have Surprise Baby peaking for The Bart Cummings in October, which secures the winner a start in the Melbourne Cup.
"He'll go around in the Feehan," said Preusker, who won the Feehan last year with Magic Consol.
"He's good to go, a nice sharp mile will be spot on for him and, while we don't want to give him too hard a run, it'll be a good chance for him to have a nice blowout.
"His work has been good and I was very happy with his jumpout at Stawell last week so it's exciting to have him back at the races."
WATCH: Surprise Baby wins an 800-metre jumpout at Stawell
Preusker said Magic Consol would gallop at Horsham on Tuesday before a decision is made whether he lines up in the 1600-metre handicap at The Valley on Saturday.
The 10-year-old hasn't won a race since upstaging Homesman, Night's Watch and Hartnell in last year's Feehan Stakes.
The Feehan has attracted 19 entries, including Group 1 winners Best Of Days, Homesman and Kenedna, as well as one-time Cup favourite Yucatan, Kiwi raider The Chosen One and Lawrence Stakes eye-catcher Sikandarabad.
Other feature races on the card include the G2 McEwen Stakes (1000m), the G3 Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) and the Listed Chalder McLeod Stakes (1200m).