It's been a long time since Brett Lazzarini trained a winner on Melbourne Cup day.
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After originally plying his trade on the state's north coast, the Kembla trainer took time away from the racing industry.
He returned earlier this year and found immediate success, Lazzarini developing an emerging crop of horses.
Now he hopes to tick off another box in his journey, in registering a winner on Melbourne Cup day at Kembla Grange.
The trainer's best chance is emerging gelding Gave Me You, Lazzarini considering running the three-year-old at Randwick on Tuesday.
Instead the horse will contest a 1000 metre maiden plate on his home track in the third start of his career.
"Gave Me You will be very hard to beat," Lazzarini said. "He's been working well, he's done everything right since his last start.
"He was just left wanting a little bit the last furlong in his last start. He was put in a position we didn't want to be in and once he was there, as top weight, he had to work hard to maintain it. We'll see a different horse tomorrow."
Lazzarini is confident Tuesday will be the first of multiple wins for the gelding, the trainer optimistic Sydney success is on the cards.
He acknowledges, however, Gave Me You's best is still a little way off.
"He is going to be a very handy horse. He's a gangly thing, I don't think we'll see the best in him for another couple of preps.
"What he's doing now is on raw ability. It's surprising how good he is if you look at how big and gangly he is. He'll develop into a nice horse as a late three-year-old and a four-year-old."
Lazzarini is likely to scratch Canzonet while Sharpshooter will contest a 1000m class one handicap.
That race features a talent-laden field, Gwenda Markwell's Doctor Mancini returning from a spell.
Also first-up is Peter and Paul Snowden's Sahra, the three-year-old currently favourite on the TAB odds.
Sitting on the second line of betting is Mission Legend, the gelding entering on the back of a maiden victory at Kembla Grange last month.