Trainer Nigel Blackiston says Littorio's improvement since his strong win in the Turnbull Stakes and the 400-metre step up in distance will stand the four-year-old in good stead for Saturday's $2.5 million Caulfield Cup.The Bellotto gelding went into the 2000m Turnbull as the winner of just one race, a Sale two-year-old maiden at his race debut, but came out of it as Blackiston's first Group One winner and highly fancied for the Caulfield Cup.Now he's set to join the likes of Let's Elope (1991),

Trainer Nigel Blackiston says Littorio's improvement since his strong win in the Turnbull Stakes and the 400-metre step up in distance will stand the four-year-old in good stead for Saturday's $2.5 million Caulfield Cup.

The Bellotto gelding went into the 2000m Turnbull as the winner of just one race, a Sale two-year-old maiden at his race debut, but came out of it as Blackiston's first Group One winner and highly fancied for the Caulfield Cup.

Now he's set to join the likes of Let's Elope (1991), Sky Heights (1999), Northerly (2002) and Elvstroem (2004) who have completed the Turnbull-Caulfield Cup double in the last 20 years.

Littorio had been placed in four Group One races before the Turnbull including his second in the Victoria Derby (2500m) and third in the AJC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick.

"He's going to a distance that's more suitable," Blackiston said.

"He's improved and hopefully there's more petrol in the tank for the Melbourne Cup as well.

"Just knowing the horse, how he has coped and his work, I'm very happy with where he's at.

"I'm very confident he's on the rise and I'm looking forward to Saturday."

Blackiston, who came from Great Britain as an accomplished horseman in 1990, worked for master trainer Bart Cummings and became his Melbourne stable foreman replacing long-time foreman Leon Corstens when he went out on his own as a trainer.

During that time Blackiston worked with some outstanding horses such as Kingston Rule, Let's Elope and Saintly.

Blackiston, who has been training in his own right for eight years, has 15 horses in work at Flemington.

He has had some smart gallopers including Group winners Weasel Will and Shelbourne Lass, but Littorio is the horse he has been waiting for.

Kurdasea, the grand-dam of Littorio, is the dam of dual Group One Emirates Stakes (1600m) winner Seascay but that is not what attracted the trainer to the horse at the Melbourne yearling sales.

"I was looking at a couple of horses from Basinghall Farm and they brought him out and he just looked magnificent," Blackiston said.

"His walk, type, conformation, he was just a lovely horse.

"We didn't have a buyer at the time and he was passed in for $12,000 but we went back and asked the breeders what they wanted for him and ended up getting him for $15,000.

"He had failed a scope as he had a viral infection in the throat so we took him home for two weeks and scoped him and he was all clear so the sale went through."

Blackiston named New Zealanders Nom Du Jeu and Red Ruler, who beat Littorio home in the AJC Australian Derby, as among his main threats.

"They are the forgotten two as they are proven over a mile-and-a-half (2400m) and they have both since run well at weight-for-age," he said.

He also named seven-time Group One winner Weekend Hussler, last year's Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilly and runner-up Douro Valley as dangers.

"It's a tough race, the hardest one-and-a-half mile race in Australia. Luck in running will play a big part," he said.

Weekend Hussler is now the clear-cut favourite at $4.20 with TAB Sportsbet after being heavily supported from as much as $6 on Wednesday.

Littorio is second pick at $6 with Master O'Reilly at $7, Guillotine at $10 and Boundless and Douro Valley next best at $16.