The Christmas Cup is a race close to Paul Cave's heart with the Warwick Farm trainer aiming at a seventh victory in the staying feature.Eight runners will compete over 2400 metres in the Listed event at Rosehill on Saturday with Cave keen on the chances of Dothis Dothat to make up for a torrid run in the Canberra Cup when he finished seventh of 16 after leading.Cave has previously won the Christmas Cup with Prince Weyand (1981), Lahar (1998), Pasta Express (1999), Airlie Bird (2002), Sadarar (20

The Christmas Cup is a race close to Paul Cave's heart with the Warwick Farm trainer aiming at a seventh victory in the staying feature.

Eight runners will compete over 2400 metres in the Listed event at Rosehill on Saturday with Cave keen on the chances of Dothis Dothat to make up for a torrid run in the Canberra Cup when he finished seventh of 16 after leading.

Cave has previously won the Christmas Cup with Prince Weyand (1981), Lahar (1998), Pasta Express (1999), Airlie Bird (2002), Sadarar (2003) and most recently Taken At The Flood three years ago.

"It would be lovely to get number seven," Cave said.

"My first was a long time ago, Neville Voigt, now a trainer, rode Prince Weyand back in 1981."

Prince Weyand's Christmas Cup was Irishman Cave's first black-type win in Australia where he has built a reputation as a superior trainer of stayers.

Dothis Dothat is an on-pace runner but was forced into a leading role at Canberra at a pace that told in the end.

"He was forced to lead and run too quick at Canberra," Cave said.

"I didn't want him to lead but he drew wide (15) and there was no choice.

"There's leading and there's leading. From a good alley a horse can settle and lead at their own pace but he was pulling at Canberra and it was always going to be hard."

Dothis Dothat has drawn five on Saturday with Cave expecting the Gai Waterhouse-trained Merensky Reef to lead from barrier eight.

"You would think Merensky Reef would have to lead from the outside so Dothis Dothat should be able to get a good run," he said.

An even more renowned trainer of stayers, Bart Cummings, has the early favourite in Star Ripper who beat many of his Christmas Cup rivals over 2400 metres at Randwick on November 28.

A son of Dane Ripper who Cummings trained to win the 1997 Cox Plate, Star Ripper has burst into prominence over the past month with three wins over 2000, 2200 and 2400 metres.

Cummings has attributed Star Ripper's surge in form to the four-year-old's maturity and a gelding operation.

Runner-up to Star Ripper at Randwick was Scouting Wide who will line up in the Christmas Cup along with third-placed Merensky Reef and Bright Mind who finished fourth.

To be ridden by Jay Ford, Dothis Dothat is the outsider of the field but Cave is taking no notice of the markets.

"I'm very happy with him, he's done well since Canberra and I think he will go well," he said.