Bart Cummings won't get the chance to further enhance his amazing record of 13 Australian Cups after he didn't accept with last year's winner Sirmione, but his son Anthony might win his first with Road To Rock.Anthony Cummings prepared Casino Prince who ran third in the race last year to Sirmione who was ruled out of this year's race.Racing Victoria Limited veterinarian Paul O'Callaughan inspected Sirmione before and after he galloped at Flemington on Tuesday morning and he was found to have sli

Bart Cummings won't get the chance to further enhance his amazing record of 13 Australian Cups after he didn't accept with last year's winner Sirmione, but his son Anthony might win his first with Road To Rock.

Anthony Cummings prepared Casino Prince who ran third in the race last year to Sirmione who was ruled out of this year's race.

Racing Victoria Limited veterinarian Paul O'Callaughan inspected Sirmione before and after he galloped at Flemington on Tuesday morning and he was found to have slight muscle soreness in the hindquarters.

But Anthony Cummings is very happy with Road To Rock going into the 2000m weight-for-age feature.

The Encosta De Lago four-year-old entire is chasing a hat-trick in Melbourne after narrowly getting home from Bolle when second-up over 1500m at Moonee Valley on February 14 followed by his 3-1/4 length win over Down Under Boy in the Sportingbet Cup (2000m) at Caulfield last Saturday.

"He went into the race last Saturday open to a fair bit of improvement in his fitness," Cummings said.

"He went out to just have an easy gallop on Tuesday, but he was quite keen in his work and had plenty of running left in him on the line and still ran a second or so faster than those going into the race on Saturday.

"Normally that's a good guide. He had a nice blow afterwards and recovered really quickly. He'll go into the race at about the same weight as he was last week, but with more muscle."

Blake Shinn, who gave Bart Cummings his 12th Melbourne Cup winner when he won the race on Viewed last spring, has been snapped up by Cummings as Damien Oliver, who won on Road To Rock last week, was committed to riding Baughurst.

Baughurst was a 3-3/4 length runner-up to $2.20 Australian Cup favourite Theseo in the St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield two weeks ago after Nash Rawiller controlled the Group Two event on the Gai Waterhouse-trained five-year-old.

However it is unlikely he is going to get it so easy in front this time with the presence of the Mick Price-trained three-year-old Pre Eminence.

"If you take the favourite out it's a very open Australian Cup. Obviously Theseo bowls along in front but we get 4.5kg off him. I'll leave it up to Craig (Newitt) but we'll be thereabouts," Price said.

"He's a big tough horse, he's had a good preparation and I think he's going really well."

Pre Eminence has been gelded since last spring when he led throughout to win the Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield and then ran third to Rebel Raider in the Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.

He won the Group Two Alister Clark Stakes (1600m) second-up at Moonee Valley on February 14 before Price said he "lost it" at the races before finishing fourth as favourite to Stokehouse in the Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield last Saturday.

But Price predicted he would be a lot more relaxed with the float trip across town from Caulfield to Flemington on Saturday.

The Danny O'Brien-trained Master O'Reilly will wear blinkers for the first time after his fourth in the St George and jockey Vlad Duric is very happy with the 2007 Caulfield Cup winner.

"He's flying. I rode him with the blinkers on on Tuesday morning and it's the best he's worked in a long time," he said.