Craig Newitt says the Mick Price-trained Heart of Dreams' love of a "dogfight" will go a long way towards giving the jockey his third Australian Cup win at Flemington.Newitt, who sprung an upset on Roman Arch ($51) in the 2006 Cup and won it again the following year on Price's star galloper Pompeii Ruler, said Heart Of Dreams was on track to bury his 2000m maiden tag metres on Saturday."His pet distance is probably 1600 metres but he gets 2000 metres," Newitt said."He is a beautiful horse to rid

Craig Newitt says the Mick Price-trained Heart of Dreams' love of a "dogfight" will go a long way towards giving the jockey his third Australian Cup win at Flemington.

Newitt, who sprung an upset on Roman Arch ($51) in the 2006 Cup and won it again the following year on Price's star galloper Pompeii Ruler, said Heart Of Dreams was on track to bury his 2000m maiden tag metres on Saturday.

"His pet distance is probably 1600 metres but he gets 2000 metres," Newitt said.

"He is a beautiful horse to ride and once he sticks his head in front he is a hard horse to get past."

"He loves a dogfight."

Heart of Dreams has won five races and four of them have been by less than a length with his biggest winning margin a year ago when he won the Australian Guineas by 1-1/2 lengths.

His only two starts beyond 1800 metres were last spring when, after winning the Group One Underwood Stakes (1800m), he went down fighting to Whobegotyou in the Group One Yalumba Stakes (2000m) and was seventh to So You Think in the Cox Plate (2040m).

Price says Heart Of Dreams' record may suggest he is suspect at 2000 metres but he believes if Newitt gives him the right ride in the Australian Cup he can win.

"He is one of those horses who needs to be covered up in a 2000-metre race and not dragged out at the half mile like what happened in the Cox Plate," Price said.

"If he gets nice cover in the race he will go very close."

Heart Of Dreams was favourite at $6.50 on Friday and Newitt said the four-year-old had "come on" from his last start second to La Rocket in the Group Two St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield two weeks ago.

La Rocket caused an upset when he pinched a break on Heart Of Dreams and beat him a head but Newitt isn't reading too much in to the defeat.

"It was one of those things," Newitt said.

"We had soft run like La Rocket but he raced a couple lengths closer than us."

Price said Heart Of Dreams missed a planned 1200-metre run at the start of his campaign with an elevated white cell count but had come through a similar campaign to other Australian Cup runners.

"We pumped the work in to him before the St George and in another stride he wins.

"I think he is pretty much on target."

Significantly only two of the past 20 Australian Cup winners were unplaced at their previous starts and 10 either won or were second in the St George Stakes.

With La Rocket not running, history favours Heart Of Dreams while his stablemate Miss Maren ($12) is in contention after her gallant third in the St George.

Price said he was reluctant to rate her ahead of Heart Of Dreams despite her more impressive 2000 metre record.

Apart from Miss Maren's three wins at the distance, including last year's Group Three Easter Cup at Caulfield, she also posted Group One placings when second to Scenic Shot in last year's Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington and third in the Kelt Capital Stakes in New Zealand.

Price said Miss Maren worked better than Heart Of Dreams leading in to the St George but on race day he had the edge on her as evidenced last start when she finished nearly two lengths behind him.

"She is going as good I can get her and she goes well over 2000 metres at Flemington so she is a fluker's hope," Price said.