Cranbourne trainer Mark Webb will be shaking his head after his Reset mare Avienus suffered an early blow to her Easter Cup claims coming up with barrier 14 of 17 for this Saturday’s showdown at Caulfield.

Five-year-old Avienus was one of 17 horses, 16 starters plus one emergency, accepted for this year’s $125,000 Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m).

Earlier in the week Webb expressed hopes that Avienus would get some luck in the Easter Cup barrier draw after failing to place in her five starts this season.

In three of her five runs this prep Avienus has been dealt a double-digit gate, one of the reasons accounting for why she has failed to produce the same promising form she did during the spring.

“I don’t think she’s going quite as well as she was in the spring for some reason. I can’t really put a finger on it,” Webb said.

“But in saying that she has had a nice run of performances, just without luck from bad barriers which have cost her from either winning or placing.

“She’s been unlucky in that she’s drawn a lot of wide barriers throughout her career.”

After winning the Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley last September, Avienus enjoyed a number of other eye-catching spring starts including her sixth, beaten less than two lengths by More Joyous, in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) and her credible sixth to superstar So You Think in the premier weight-for-age showdown on the calendar, the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).

Last start Avienus was beaten just over a length when fifth to Vivid Vixen in an 1800m handicap at Caulfield on April 9.

Webb saw something in this run that hinted at improvement to come from his mare.

“Her run was good with no luck, her work has been great,” Webb said.

“The Easter Cup is certainly a good race and with the weight (54kg) I’m certainly looking forward to it.”

On Saturday Avienus and jockey Steven King face a tough test as they jump from barrier 14 in what looks to be a quality Easter Cup field.

The big winner in the Easter Cup barrier draw was Mark Kavanagh’s Shamoline Warrior drawn on the rails in alley one and due to be ridden by apprentice jockey Billy Eagan.

A stakes winner during the spring, the four-year-old son of Shamardal showed potential again last start when third to Vivid Vixen at Caulfield, Shamoline Warrior having had a number of set-backs throughout their career.

“Shamoline Warrior is only a young, lightly-raced horse and hopefully he can win the Easter Cup and come back for the Cups,” assistant trainer Merv Harvey said.

“All he needs is a bit of luck now.”

Other in-form gallopers that have genuine claims for the 2011 Easter Cup include the Mick Price-trained Galileo four-year-old Spacecraft and Lee Freedman’s defending Easter Cup winner Fanjura who both came up with favourable draws set to start from barriers three and four respectively.

Also among the challengers to take out the Easter Cup trophy are last-start winners Paddy O’Reilly (barrier five) who won the Albury Cup over 2000m on March 25 and Lloyd Williams’ Encosta De Lago four-year-old Niblick (barrier 12).

Peter Moody’s former Macau champion Luen Yat Forever is the 58kg topweight of the field.

The most notable defector from the Easter Cup following nominations was promising Victorian galloper Flat Chat, the John Sadler-trained gelding not paid up for despite showing good form in winning the National Jockeys Trust Handicap (1600m) at Flemington last weekend which was the five-year-old’s fourth successive victory.

The Easter Cup is one of two Group features running at Caulfield on Easter Saturday along with the $125,000 Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m).

2011 Le Pine Funterals Easter Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Hcp. Rating
1	X4045X8929	LUEN YAT FOREVER	Peter G Moody	Steven Arnold	6	58kg	103
2	1118X46373	SPACECRAFT	Mick Price	Craig Newitt	3	57.5kg	102
3	1X2754X342	FANJURA (IRE)	Lee Freedman	Noel Callow	4	56.5kg	100
4	2X211X2126	LAUNAY	Peter Snowden	Mark Zahra	8	56.5kg	100
5	00402X0562	FIELD HUNTER	Darren Weir	Ben Melham	16	56kg	99
6	6512266010	WIND SHEAR	Dale Sutton	Stephen Baster	7	55.5kg	98
7	57X41163X0	ZOOMIN (NZ)	Michael Kent	Dean Yendall	13	55.5kg	98
8	25413X8341	PADDY O’REILLY (NZ)	Robert Smerdon	–	5	54.5kg	95
9	1666X09855	AVIENUS	Mark Webb	Steven King	14	54kg	99
10	X0708X5820	EXTRA ZERO	David Hayes	James Winks	2	54kg	93
11	24112X0824	KUTCHINSKY	Tony Noonan	Jake Noonan (a)	15	54kg	93
12	211X0X9803	SHAMOLINE WARRIOR	Mark Kavanagh	Billy Egan (a)	1	54kg	93
13	141113X291	NIBLICK	Robert Hickmott	Michael Walker	12	53.5kg	92
14	1111X26337	BELGIETTO	Peter Gelagotis	–	11	53.5kg	89
15	1932X70252	DE FINE LAGO	Tony Vasil	–	9	53.5kg	88
16	143X927840	ABITOFADO (NZ)	Michael Moroney	Ms Lisa Cropp	17	53.5kg	87
17e	23X8143401	STOLE (NZ)	Brian Jenkins	–	10	53.5kg	85