While there are doubts over some of the visiting European horses making it to the Melbourne Cup, the two who will become naturalised after the race are in fine form.Changingoftheguard, who will remain with David Hayes, and Warringah, who will head to Chris Waller's Sydney stable, are both fit and well.Waller said he was happy with Warringah's work at the Sandown quarantine centre on Wednesday, adding that he was not perturbed that race jockey Damien Oliver could not make the trip to partner him.

While there are doubts over some of the visiting European horses making it to the Melbourne Cup, the two who will become naturalised after the race are in fine form.

Changingoftheguard, who will remain with David Hayes, and Warringah, who will head to Chris Waller's Sydney stable, are both fit and well.

Waller said he was happy with Warringah's work at the Sandown quarantine centre on Wednesday, adding that he was not perturbed that race jockey Damien Oliver could not make the trip to partner him.

"We have a great track rider in Nadine Ford and she put him over 1200 metres and I was happy," Waller said.

"Damien may come out and take him through some slow work but he doesn't really need to ride him before the race.

"He's not a tricky horse so it's all pretty straightforward."

Waller has been in constant contact with Warringah's former trainer Sir Michael Stoute and is assured a firm track holds no fears as it has in the past for other northern hemisphere horses.

"Sir Michael said to me that when he steps off the plane and puts his feet on the tarmac, he would bounce off that sort of ground," he said.

"A firm track is what he needs."

After a scare with a foot abscess to Changingoftheguard last week, Hayes entered him in Saturday's Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) as an option to running in the Cup.

But the former Coolmore charge has continued to work well since the abscess burst on Saturday and it's full steam ahead to next Tuesday.

English trainer Luca Cumani hasn't had the same good fortune on his third visit to Australia as he has on his past two with Basaltico borderline to make the field and Cima De Triomphe running in the Mackinnon to try to force his way in.

Cumani-trained horses Purple Moon (2007) and Bauer last year each ran second in the Melbourne Cup.

The horses that beat them, Efficient and Viewed, remain the popular choices with punters along with emerging South Australian stayer Alcopop to thwart the overseas attack.

The three are equal favourites with the Bart Cummings-trained Viewed the only one lining up on Saturday.

The winner of this month's Caulfield Cup, Viewed was a star worker at Flemington on Tuesday as his trainer prepares to win an incredible 13th Melbourne Cup.

Cummings has Dandaad and Naval Escort in Saturday's Lexus with the winner of that race exempt from a Cup ballot.

His other confirmed Cup runners are Toorak Handicap winner Allez Wonder and Roman Emperor.