IT IS more than six months until the running of the 150th Melbourne Cup, but trainer Nigel Blackiston expects to know as soon as Saturday whether his comeback horse Littorio will be in the mix for November's $6 million race, reports The Age.It says: Littorio will line up in the $400,000 Sydney Cup over 3200 metres at Randwick and Blackiston said yesterday that his performance would provide a valuable guide to the rising six-year-old's spring program.''The Sydney Cup is quite a good race with a g

IT IS more than six months until the running of the 150th Melbourne Cup, but trainer Nigel Blackiston expects to know as soon as Saturday whether his comeback horse Littorio will be in the mix for November's $6 million race, reports The Age.

It says: Littorio will line up in the $400,000 Sydney Cup over 3200 metres at Randwick and Blackiston said yesterday that his performance would provide a valuable guide to the rising six-year-old's spring program.

''The Sydney Cup is quite a good race with a good deal of depth so it will give us a strong indication as to whether we aim at the Melbourne Cup next spring or restrict him to mile-and-a-half [2400-metre] races,'' Blackiston said.

''I think he will stay two miles but we just won't know until after Saturday. I'm delighted with him going into the race so if he can't win or run on very strongly at the finish then he'd be no hope in the big one next spring.''

Even when Littorio was too sore to break into a gallop, Blackiston never doubted he would once again race at the top level, but he is still in the dark as to whether he can handle a marathon staying trip. ''He got back to last in the [2008] Melbourne Cup and worked home OK to finish 13th but we left the track that night scratching our heads as to whether he stays the trip. Saturday will tell us one way or another.''

Littorio was sore with bone-jarring after the 2008 spring carnival and raced just once in 68 weeks. But in five runs this year, the 2008 Turnbull Stakes winner showed he has lost none of his ability. He was just behind the placegetters in his first four outings but then finished strongly to win over the 2400 metres of the BMW 16 days ago.

Littorio shares the second line of Sydney Cup betting at $8 with the 2008 winner No Wine No Song and behind Bart Cummings' emerging stayer Precedence at $7.

Blackiston said he was delighted with Littorio's fitness levels when he lined up in the BMW and said the horse has continued to go forward.