Irish horseman Joseph O’Brien has a contingent back down under this Autumn Racing Carnival including the well-backed Cleveland who is tipped to steal the show in the Group 1 $2 million Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m) on Saturday.

Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho looks to beat home the international visitors again in the Sydney Cup 2023 field this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

Day 2 of The Championships at Royal Randwick is host to four elite level races including the classic two-mile Sydney Cup event.

It is a bumper Sydney Cup field of 19, down from 20 after the early withdrawal of the rails-drawn Torrens, with Camelot entire Cleveland sitting top of the markets at $3.90 through Ladbrokes.

The lightly-raced European four-year-old has his 10^th start on the weekend and his second in Australia following an eye-catching fifth fresh only two lengths off Arapaho in the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill a fortnight ago.

He carted 59kg at weight-for-age there and is down to just 51kg with Kerrin McEvoy continuing associations from a wide barrier 17 (into 16) draw.

Cleveland is a proven stayer with winning form up to 3749m back home so will relish the step-up in distance second-up and fit on Saturday.

O’Brien also saddles-up fellow proven two-miler Baron Samedi from the far outside alley with Tom Marquand riding on 55kg.

Sydney Cup betting has the raider at $14 with the Harbour Watch gelding racing for the first time since a distant Group 3 second on Heavy going at The Curragh last October with 61kg.

There are currently two runners joining Cleveland at single-figures to win with the Mark Newnham-trained King Frankel ($7.50) and the market mover Gold Trip ($8) from the Maher/Eustace stable.

Apprentice Tyler Schiller continues associations with the in-form Frankel five-year-old King Frankel who was strong running a length back third at a big price in the Tancred Stakes.

He is fourth-up and rock-hard fit for his biggest test to date in the Sydney Cup field where the horse will appreciate the drop from 59kg to the 50kg minimum.

At the other end of the weight scale is the reigning Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip with a task ahead carrying the 59.5kg top-weight.

His win over this distance in the spring’s Melbourne Cup race with 57.5kg by two lengths was enormous, and he chases his first win since.

The son of Outstrip has been solid in his three lead-up runs this campaign, the latest of which had him running seventh in the Tancred on Good going.

We have a likely Heavy-rated track for the weekend however which he will relish looking to be the first horse to complete the Melbourne Cup/Sydney Cup double in the same season since Makybe Diva (2003-04).

Among the dangers at double-figures are the likes of Bjorn Baker’s Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho ($12) chasing a third win on the trot, the Chris Waller-trained Surefire ($14) on the quick back-up off an impressive Group 2 Chairman’s Quality win last weekend, and the defending Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Sydney Cup champ Knights Order ($16) out to go back-to-back for the first time since Tie The Knot (1998, 1999).

The Sydney Cup is scheduled to run as Race 7 at 3:15pm (AEST) on Saturday’s bumper 10-race Randwick card.

2023 Sydney Cup Field & Barriers

Table Credit: Racing Australia.