Hunter syndication company Australian Bloodstock are counting on Biscayne Bay out-staying her rivals in a "weak" VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on Thursday.
Australian Bloodstock, winners of 12 group 1s, including the 2014 Melbourne Cup with Protectionist, have two runners on the Oaks day program, which is headlined by the $1 million staying test for three-year-old fillies.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Biscayne Bay was a $6.50 chance with the TAB on Wednesday and was one of five in single-figure odds in the 11-horse field.
Australian Bloodstock bought Biscayne Bay after she won the group 3 South Australian Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) in May but she has since failed to reproduce that as a three-year-old.
Unplaced in the listed Atlantic Jewel at Moonee Valley (1200m) and the Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) at Sandown, she improved with a third in the group 3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 16.
The Sebring filly makes another sharp rise in distance and race level on Thursday but she has the benefit of a soft draw in gate three and the expertise of Hugh Bowman aboard.
Australian Bloodstock director Luke Murrell said Biscayne Bay had been disappointing this time in but he was encouraged by what he saw in the rest of the field.
"To my eye, all prep she's been wanting a further distance but I just hate how she hasn't attacked the line at any stage, that's my main worry," Murrell said.
"She won as a two-year-old but she's been pretty disappointing this prep so far.
"It went a little bit better the other day at 2000 but obviously it's another step up in distance and I'm just hoping she can out-stay them.
"In the Oaks normally you've got one or two who are head and shoulders above everything else, but we haven't got that this year. They are all a chance.
"It's a group 1, you've got a good rider, a weak race and some hope."
In what may be an omen for some, Biscayne Bay shares the same name as a former sprinter trained by Paul Perry at Newcastle.
The Stravinsky gelding won eight of 39 starts and snared a Melbourne spring carnival feature in 2006 - the group 2 Caulfield Sprint.
Australian Bloodstock also have Fifth Position racing in the fourth, an 1800m benchmark 90 handicap.
The six-year-old gelding was a two-time winner in the UK and has had four starts for two placings in Australia for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent jnr.
He finished 11th last start at Geelong, three lengths away, after jumping from barrier 13 and he again has drawn wide in 14. Murrell, though, was optimistic about the $7 chance's prospects.
"It's just never drawn a gate," he said. "We're going to go back on it and it's going to be a good chance.
"It's a really open race and it probably won't be fast enough for it to run on, but I think it's going better than it looks and it will run OK.
"It keeps running good races without breaking through, but it was much better the other day."
Meanwhile, Australian Bloodstock are aiming the Kris Lees-trained Wandabaa and 2020 runner-up Special Reward at the $1 million The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle on November 13.
