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By Ray Hickson

When champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy had his first sit on Sydney Cup favourite Cleveland on Wednesday he wasn’t sure whether the Joseph O’Brien stayer was taking his place in Saturday’s Group 1 $1.5m Kia Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill or waiting until Cup Day.

What he was sure about after a couple of spins around Canterbury is the lightly raced five-year-old has travelled to Sydney well and is fit and ready for whatever O’Brien asks of him.

Cleveland is the $8 favourite for the Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m) in two weeks and kept safe at $9.50 on Wednesday in the Tancred, a race McEvoy won in 2018 on Almandin in the same colours that Cleveland will carry.

A decision from the Joseph O'Brien stable on whether he takes his place in the Tancred will be made later in the week.

“He came out here pretty fit so they are just out here doing routine work,’’ McEvoy said.

“(Joseph) has shown he can travel horses all around the world and get it right so I’ll back his judgment.

“It wasn’t testing work so we didn’t get to the bottom of him.

“He’s a nice strong horse with a good attitude and a good action, he’s got a nice tank there which has been built up over previous seasons in Ireland. He gave me a nice feel and he’s moving really well.”

Temple Of Artemis and Sydney Cup favourite Cleveland (Kerrin McEvoy) stretch out at Canterbury on Wednesday morning. pic.twitter.com/3EdevBjxzJ

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) March 22, 2023

The gelding has 51kg in the Sydney Cup and McEvoy was booked for the ride around a month ago.

Ryan Moore rode Clevelend to his last win at Chester over 3749m in May last year and McEvoy said his latest start was a respectable effort in a big handicap race over 3332m at The Curragh where he finished sixth of 30 runners under 63kg.

“I had a look at the horse, he’s been putting up some nice efforts over there,’’ he said.

“It was a good run in the Irish Cesarewitch and he carried a big weight that day. He wasn’t beaten far and it looks like he’s versatile in ground.

“He was good winning earlier in the year at Chester showing a good turn of foot.

“That’s what you need out here in Australia when you’re going two miles. It displayed that he had a few of the right talents you need out here.”

The O'Brien-trained Statement, a last start Group 3 winner in Ireland, is set to make her local debut in the Group 2 $250,000 Canadian Club Emancipation Stakes (1500m) on Saturday.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting