KEY POINTS:
Trainer Nigel Blackiston says Littorio's improvement since his strong win in the Turnbull Stakes and the 400-metre increase up in distance will stand the 4-year-old in good stead for tomorrow's Caulfield Cup.
The Bellotto gelding went into the 2000m Turnbull at Flemington as the winner of just one race, a Sale 2-year-old maiden at his race debut, but came out of it as Blackiston's first group one winner and highly fancied for the 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 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."
Topweight Weekend Hussler is now the clear-cut favourite at $4.20 with Victoria's TAB Sportsbet after being heavily supported from as much as $6 on Thursday.
Littorio is second pick at $6 with Master O'Reilly at $7, Guillotine at $10 and Boundless and Douro Valley next best at $16.
* Victoria Derby winner Kibbutz is out of the Cup after failing to recover from a foot abscess.
His scratching gives trainer Danny O'Brien three runners in the Cup with the promotion of Barbaricus from first emergency.
O'Brien's other starters are Master O'Reilly and Douro Valley, who ran the quinella last year.
