Shocking has vaulted into outright favouritism for the 150th Melbourne Cup after demolishing a quality weight-for-age field to win the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
Last year's Melbourne Cup winner started at $18 in his second run of his campaign and kept his perfect record at Flemington intact, powering over the top of Heart of Dreams ($8) and Vigor ($5) to win with ease.
Even trainer Mark Kavanagh was surprised by how much Shocking had improved over the winter break, especially as the five-year-old had always seemed a horse who needed two or three runs in a campaign before it showed its best.
It shows RVL handicapper Greg Carpenter to be a very shrewd judge after he allotted Shocking 57kgs for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups earlier in the week, a massive 6.5 kg jump on what it carried to victory in last year's Cup.
Any concerns Cups punters may have had on that weight jump would be allayed by the manner in which he simply powered past his rivals late in Saturday's race, his first win since last year's Melbourne Cup.
Jockey Michael Rodd sat Shocking just worse than midfield with an even tempo set by Stirling Prince and Vigor. Vigor, who won this race last year, powered to the lead at the top of the straight and fought off a challenge from Speed Gifted before Heart of Dreams emerged down the outside.
However, Shocking had been given a perfect ride by Rodd and he unleashed a stunning burst inside the final 200m to score with ease.
Kavanagh said afterwards that Shocking's sole aim was the Melbourne Cup and that may mean the Cox Plate is left off the spring program.
Earlier, Soul ($3.50) continued its development as a high quality three-year-old by taking out the Danehill Stakes (1200m), while No Evidence Needed ($16) triumphed in the Let's Elope Stakes (1400m).
At Randwick, Theseo ($3) stepped up its charge for the Cox Plate with a hard-fought win over Metal Bender and Purple in the Chelmsford Stakes (1600m).