DAVID Hayes dominated last year's Australian Cup with a longshot quinella and he is confident he will again be a prominent player today. 
Last year, $13 chance Spillway held off his $101 stablemate Extra Zero by a short half head.
Hayes has three runners today - Extra Zero again running and joined by Rising Romance and Almoonqith.
Rising Romance is at $8.50, Almoonqith $21 and Extra Zero at $35 with TAB. "Rising Romance is our best, but Almoonqith is more than capable of springing a surprise, but his goal is the Sydney Cup," Hayes said.
"I can tell you I'm a lot more confident about Rising Romance winning than I was with Spillway.
"Rising Romance will be spot on. She's had no luck at her last two starts, but if you look at her last 100m, no horse has finished quicker." At her last start, Rising Romance finished sixth and Almoonqith ninth in the Peter Young Stakes over 1800m at Caulfield.
Hayes' third seed in the race is nine-year-old gelding Extra Zero, who is again at big odds at $35.
"He's holding his form, but he needs the pace on, as it was last year with The Cleaner in the race," he said.
Nigel Blackiston doesn't want his Australian Cup runner $8.50 chance Suavito to lead, but said if she had to, she had to."I'd like to see her settle fourth or fifth and come off their back. If she needed up leading there's no point in dragging her back through the field," Blackiston said.