Athabascan confirmed he was on target for a crack at the G1 Melbourne Cup when he produced a superior staying performance to return to winning form at Randwick.The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained son of Almanzor was trimmed to $26 for the Flemington feature following his victory in the G3 St Leger Stakes over 2600 metres.“That (the Cup) has been on our agenda all season, we just needed a positive run to get him back in the game,” O’Shea said.“I think he drops five or six kilos into the Cup and he’ll run a very good race because he’s a good two-miler. We look forward to the first Tuesday in November.”The French-bred six-year-old lobbed along in fourth spot away from the fence before improving wide across the top and he held a sustained gallop to score.Athabascan began his career in France with champion trainer Andre Fabre and was a maiden winner over 2000 metres before placing at stakes level and was subsequently purchased by OTI Racing.He is a half-brother to the G1 Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho with their dam the Dansili mare Alzubra, whose five victories featured the Listed Prix Dahlia.Athabascan has now won on four occasions with previous successes including the G3 Colin Stephen Handicap and the Listed Tattersalls Club Cup and was runner-up in last season’s G1 Sydney Cup.

Progressive Almanzor mare Alma Rise added to her record at Moe with a determined second-up performance.The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained four-year-old was runner-at at Sandown over 1800 metres when opening her spring campaign and the rise to a middle distance proved ideal for the promising stayer.It was her second win from five starts and her three runner-up finishes also includes a second in last season’s Listed VRC St Leger.“She has been very consistent and has always put in a very good performance,” stable representative Will Holmes said.“She has still got a bit of maturing to do so she can go a lot further.”Alma Rise settled three back off the fence before improving wide across the top and she finished stoutly under Luke Nolen to get in the deciding stride in a driving finish.She is raced by her breeder Ed Calvert and is a daughter of the Bertolini mare Fashion Black, who was successful on six occasions. Fashion Black is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner and sire Xtravagant whose brother He’s Remarkable was a Group 3 winner and placed at the elite level.

Vermelho made his first appearance at the races a memorable one at Pukekohe.Despite finishing runner-up in his latest trial, the homebred son of Almanzor was unwanted in the betting and started the outsider in the 11-horse field.Rider Tegan Newman worked to the front aboard the Stephen Ralph-trained colt and he travelled comfortably before slipping clear at the top of the straight.Vermelho was still going boldly 250 metres from home, and he had enough in reserve to make a winning debut over 1400 metres.He is a son of the Manhattan Rain mare Keraton, who boasts a strong European pedigree with her dam Keratiya a G2 Chantilly Prix du Bois winner.Other stakes winners on the pedigree page include Kerasona, Darkness, Rocky Ground and Karasiyra.