Steven Arnold says his JJ Liston Stakes mount So You Think is fit enough to win first-up but has a query on him handling the wet track at Caulfield.The reigning Cox Plate winner and current favourite for this year's weight-for-age championship hasn't raced for nine months.But Arnold said the Bart Cummings-trained star gave him a good feel when he rode him in his work on the course proper at Caulfield on Tuesday morning."He's in great order, obviously not wound right up at this stage, but his wor

Steven Arnold says his JJ Liston Stakes mount So You Think is fit enough to win first-up but has a query on him handling the wet track at Caulfield.

The reigning Cox Plate winner and current favourite for this year's weight-for-age championship hasn't raced for nine months.

But Arnold said the Bart Cummings-trained star gave him a good feel when he rode him in his work on the course proper at Caulfield on Tuesday morning.

"He's in great order, obviously not wound right up at this stage, but his work was beautiful," Arnold told Sport 927 on Friday.

"The ground was a little bit wet. I wouldn't think he was 100 per cent comfortable on the wet ground.

"That is my only query but he should still run well.

"He's not like an old stayer starting off. He's a pretty sharp sort of a horse so, if he can handle the conditions okay, he could win the race."

The Caulfield track was rated a heavy (8) on Friday after 27.2mm of rain so far this week.

So You Think won on a dead track at his debut over 1400m at Rosehill as a two-year-old, but hasn't raced on a slow or heavy surface.

Gold Coast trainer John Wallace said he would like the going to be better than heavy for the favourite Shoot Out.

But he was happy with the four-year-old since his brilliant first-up win in the Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 31.

"I'd prefer it to be better but what can you do. They're all going to have to go through it," he said.

"I think he's gone ahead. He's done really well in himself and I couldn't be happier with him.

"I'd rather have him than any other runner."

Wallace said he would discuss tactics with jockey Stathi Katsidis before deciding how he should ride the gelding from barrier 10 in the 15-horse field over the 1400m after he went forward from the inside gate last time.

"It depends on how the races are playing out there tomorrow and we'll go from there. He's pretty adaptable," he said.

Wallace said he was virtually letting Shoot Out train himself in the lead-up to the big spring plums by racing him every fortnight.

"He's starting to get fitter but he's still got a lot of improvement in him. I haven't really started to train him much yet," he said.

"I've just been letting him go even time and poke along. All I've been doing is training him to get better as he goes."

Shoot Out is $3.20 favourite with TAB Sportsbet ahead of So You Think at $4.80 and Heart Of Dreams ($6), with last year's winner Predatory Pricer and Vigor next best at $10.

So You Think is $11 favourite for the Cox Plate, just shading Shoot Out at $12.