Lee Freedman is confident the inside alley and recent good form could be the key to his imported Irish galloper Above Average taking out this year’s Sydney Cup at Randwick.

High Chaparral five-year-old Above Average came up trumps with gate one in the 2011 Sydney Cup barrier draw giving them an advantage over their 15 rivals in the $500,000 Group 1 Easter two-miler on Saturday.

Since coming to Freedman’s Mornington stables at the end of 2009, Above Average’s sole win on Aussie turf was his Australian debut in March last year over the Caulfield mile.

Since then he has started 11 more times, his most successful finish in a Group race being second to the Bart Cummings-trained Precedence in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) in October.

This preparation Above Average has shown improved form with a number of close placings such as his nose loss to Bid Spotter in the Listed NE Manion Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on March 26 and his last-start third to Berlioz beaten just over half a length in the Emirates Airline Plate (2406m) at Caulfield on April 9.

Above Average has had one previous run at Randwick when second to Herculian Prince in the 2010 JRA Plate (2000m) and is also tried over the Sydney Cup distance of 3200m when second to Macedonian in last November’s Sandown Cup and third in a Group 3 race as a three-year-old in the UK.

“He’s a real two miler and that’s a big thing going into the race,” Freedman said.

Current Sydney Cup markets have Above Average rated as a $9 chance at upsetting $5.50 favourite and fellow imported galloper Mourayan.

He is also equal odds with the Chris Waller-trained Hawk Island, yet another overseas import in good form having won the JRA Plate last start on a bog Randwick track.

A nice statistic adding fuel to Freedman’s fire is that Above Average is yet to be beaten by Mourayan.

Most recently Above Average defeated the Sydney Cup favourite in the NE Manion Cup, Mourayan over three lengths away fourth.

Above Average (second) also got the better of Mourayan (third) in the 2010 Sandown Cup.

“We’re really upbeat about his prospects,” Freedman said.

“I think he’s right in the market for the Sydney Cup.

“I see Mourayan is favourite but I don’t think Mourayan has ever beaten him home when they’re met.

“(Above Average) beat him home in the Sandown Cup and he beat him home again in the Manion Cup.

“He’s had a good preparation and we’ve given him some schooling as well which I think he needed just to sharpen him a bit.”

Above Average is also right in the Sydney Cup weight-wise, due to be ridden by Melbourne Cup winning jockey Corey Brown at 54kg, a good drop from the 59kg he carried last start at Caulfield.

“He’s been pretty spot-on, he ran a great race in the Manion Cup and then came back home and ran at Caulfield and was probably a good thing beaten carrying 60kg with the vest,” Freedman said.

“He is dropping a lot in weight and I think he’s got a great chance.”

Other stayers in the market for the Sydney Cup include the Lloyd Williams-owned C’est La Guerre ($6), Gai Waterhouse’s last-start Chairman’s Handicap winning mare Once Were Wild ($7.50) and well-bred Zabeel five-year-old Macedonian ($8.50) from the stables of Peter Moody.

The 2011 Schweppes Sydney Cup will run as Randwick Race 6 on Saturday as part of a bumper eight-event programme brining the Sydney Autumn Carnival to a thrilling finish.

2011 Schweppes Sydney Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Hcp. Rating
1	145X941341	HAWK ISLAND (IRE)	Chris Waller	Glyn Schofield	12	57kg	109
2	05160X0053	C’EST LA GUERRE (NZ)	Robert Hickmott	Michael Rodd	9	56kg	105
3	80830X4091	ONCE WERE WILD	Gai Waterhouse	Nash Rawiller	17	55kg	109
4	2073X82042	MOURAYAN (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	Nicholas Hall	11	54.5kg	106
5	73252X5323	ABOVE AVERAGE (IRE)	Lee Freedman	Corey Brown	1	54kg	101
6	9366861031	MUIR (GB)	Robert Hickmott	Darren Gauci	14	54kg	100
7	5X24138807	TINSELTOWN (NZ)	Michael Moroney	Kerrin McEvoy	6	54kg	100
8	0X04823101	BID SPOTTER	Graeme Rogerson	Brenton Avdulla	2	53.5kg	99
9	0757511943	MACEDONIAN (NZ)	Peter G Moody	Dwayne Dunn	7	53.5kg	98
10	621X4X0165	LARISTAN (FR)	David Hayes	Craig Williams	16	53.5kg	97
11	2224X11114	OLDER THAN TIME	Gai Waterhouse	Glen Boss	10	53.5kg	97
12	522725676	STRIKE ONE (GB)	Chris Waller	–	3	53.5kg	95
13	6287X48180	SAINT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	Jim Cassidy	15	53.5kg	94
14	X749901000	SOLID BILLING	Craig Ritchie	Cameron Lammas	5	53.5kg	94
15	4657X87784	COUNT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	Jim Byrne	8	53.5kg	90
16	8706X66212	MONTAHLIA (NZ)	Michael Kent	–	13	53.5kg	89
17e	7441X8430	STAND TO GAIN (IRE)	Chris Waller	–	4	53.5kg	88