Far Out Bro was the TAB $2.60 favourite on Thursday for the 2030m $100,000 feature despite drawing gate 11, which is three on the second line of a six-four formation.

Ruggari was confident Hunter reinsman Jack Callaghan and the five-year-old entire could get the job done.

"I think only bad luck is going to stop him," Ruggari said.

"He's a really above-average horse, the best horse in the race and we've got the best driver in the race. We just need a bit of luck and no bad luck.

"The benefit of this horse is he's not one-dimensional. He sat, sprinted and won his heat off a hot half. He went to war over 2400 when second in the Inter City Pace, coming from last three-wide to attack the leader and got found out only in the last 10m by that group 1 horse [Chevrons Art]. He can do anything.

"Jack is driving with a lot of confidence as well. He's driving a lot of good horses and he's winning on everything, so he's the right man to have."

The race will be held just two days after the death of Far Out Bro's Sydney owner, Tony Xerri, who won many group 1 races with horses under the Sloys Company banner. Far Out Bro was sent to Ruggari from the stables of Michael Doltoff late last year to chase the Inter City Pace and Hunter regional series.

"The owner passed away yesterday unfortunately, so hopefully we can get a really good result for the family," Ruggari said. "Fingers crossed we can do it for Tony.

"We targetted this race for him. He made the metro regional final last year, and that race was a lot stronger than this.

"He was able to make that final last year, but wasn't quite good enough to win it, so the owners and Michael said we'll bring him here and target this race for him.

"He pulled up awesome from his heat and we've had this race set out for him since the Inter City Pace, so it's all fallen into place.

"Going into the heat, he'd had a few good conditioning runs at Menangle over the 2300m and that really toughens them up. Then he's dropped back to the 2030m at Newcastle and it's been good for him."

Far Out Bro and the Geoff Dorn-trained pair of Sergei and Oleg won heats in round one, two weeks ago, and Ruggari believed that was "definitely an advantage, getting the week off".

"They went a lot faster in the heats in the second round, so they've obviously had harder runs than us," he said.

The race is at 7.55pm.

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