Fast-finishing Star Turn gelding Barradas will have his first attempt at a Highway Handicap after impressive back-to-back wins at Gosford and Dubbo, which followed a fourth on debut at Scone.

Sungblue, a son of Your Song, rises from a dominant front-running Highway Handicap win to open two and three-year-old company in the benchmark 72 handicap (1300m).

Cavanough won the $1.3 million Kosciuszko (1200m) with It's Me in 2020 and he's lining up contenders for this year's edition in October. He believes Barradas has the potential to reach the pinnacle event for country horses, while Sungblue could grab attention with another big win on Saturday.

"We probably contemplated spelling both horses but we're not even in the middle of winter yet, so for the next eight weeks they could have some fun and carry their residual fitness into the spring," Cavanough said.

Both horses, to be ridden by Jason Collett, have won on heavy going, which looms as a factor on Saturday with rain forecast.

Barradas has a wide gate in the class 3 Highway Handicap (1100m) but he has already shown his ability to sprint to victory from well back in the field.

"He's always been a nice horse at home," Cavanough said. "Sammy Clipperton got off him at Gosford and said he's a good horse, they just don't do that at Gosford.

"There's a six per cent winning [rate] from maidens to class 1s, and I thought, you can have a crack at it and see how good you are. So he went to Dubbo, had 61 kilos and nothing in his favour and he got the job done there.

"He's been pretty bright about the place and it's too cold to turn them out, so I thought we'll have a crack."

Sungblue won a 1400m Highway by 2.56 lengths on May 28 at Randwick after leading then kicking clear. Cavanough said Sungblue was "still developing his craft".

"He ran away from them last time but it will be a different class tomorrow obviously, but he's a three-year-old, he gets through the wet, he's got good residual fitness and he's ready to go," he said.

"It's a big step from a Highway to an open three-year-old Saturday race but he's ready to go. The rail will be out no doubt and he'll be forward because he's drawn a reasonable gate."

As for the Kosciuszko, he said: "If he's competitive tomorrow and puts them away, who knows. He's a nice horse. I'm thinking he wants a mile but he's been kept sharp for this sort of race."

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