Cindy Alderson knows it's a bit of a pipe dream to think Pergola can progress from a 2500 metre win at Moonee Valley to a start in the Melbourne Cup, but why not try.The five-year-old is one of 141 horses that remain in the field after last Tuesday's first declarations for the 3200m feature and his win in the RDC Australian Flooring Pty Ltd Handicap got him past the first ballot clause.The task now for Alderson and her co-trainer, father Colin Alderson, is to try to win a lead-up race to either

Cindy Alderson knows it's a bit of a pipe dream to think Pergola can progress from a 2500 metre win at Moonee Valley to a start in the Melbourne Cup, but why not try.

The five-year-old is one of 141 horses that remain in the field after last Tuesday's first declarations for the 3200m feature and his win in the RDC Australian Flooring Pty Ltd Handicap got him past the first ballot clause.

The task now for Alderson and her co-trainer, father Colin Alderson, is to try to win a lead-up race to either make him exempt from the ballot or earn a penalty to elevate him on the list of qualifiers.

Pergola is on the minimum with 50kg in the Cup, 9.5kg below weight-for-age and with stake earnings of $77,750 he is now 68th in the order of entry.

"His pedigree suggests he'll run all day," Cindy Alderson said.

"He's been a difficult horse to manage, he's had a few problems."

"The Melbourne Cup is a bit of a pipe dream, but that's what we're in it for.

"If he doesn't get there he might make it to the 2800 metre race (the Lavazza Long Black) on Cup Day."

Ridden by Danny Nikolic, Pergola ($17) raced second and moved up to challenge race leader Pass Me By ($1.75 fav) on the home turn.

Pass Me By kicked back but Pergola got the upper hand in the closing stages to score by a long head with Sentire ($21) a neck away third.

One of the owners, Peter Lawrence, is a big fan of the Pentire breed and is having a good run with them as he also is in the ownership of Pentiffic, winner of the Hiskens, Crisp and Grand National Steeplechases at his past three starts.

Pentiffic, who is prepared by Fran Houlahan and Brian Johnston, is likely to be invited to run in the 2010 Nakayama Grand Jump, the richest steeplechase in the world, in Japan next April.

Colin Alderson trained Sea Legend to run third in the 1986 Melbourne Cup, but the horse the stable would really liked to have started in the race was Nicholas John.

Nicholas John beat Gurner's Lane into third place in the 1982 Colin Stephen Hcp (2400m) at Randwick before winning The Metropolitan at the same track, but he was not entered for the Melbourne Cup which was won by Gurner's Lane.

Former VRC chairman Andrew Ramsden, one of the owners of Gurner's Lane, is also a part-owner of Pergola being the manager of the Gurners Bloodstock Company which raced multiple Group One winner Sky Heights with Alderson.

Pergola has raced only 13 times for three wins and four placings.