Chairman's Handicap winner The Offer is set to start favourite in Saturday's 2014 Sydney Cup. Photo: Steve Hart.

Gai Waterhouse’s progressive Irish import The Offer is the headline acceptor for the 2014 Sydney Cup at Royal Randwick this Saturday.

The sole two mile feature still held at Randwick, this year’s $1 million Group 1 Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m) has attracted a below capacity 17 starter field, the favourite of which is in-form Montjeu five-year-old The Offer.

Winner of the Ballarat Cup in the wet last spring, this time in the galloper has won two of their four starts by big margins in similar muddy conditions.

Two back at Rosehill they put three and a half lengths on runner-up Opinion to win the Group 3 NE Manion Cup (2400m) before their equally impressive two and a half length success in the Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) at Randwick last Saturday.

While they’re now on the short back-up history shows that 18 of the past 29 Sydney Cup winners came via the Chairman’s including seven to complete the double, most recently Jessicabeel in 2010.

The Offer has been ridden by Tommy Berry for their back-to-back Sydney wins this autumn, Berry retaining the ride on the weekend with the duo to carry 55kg.

It’s a nice weight as The Offer carried 57.5kg to victory in the Chairman’s and one that ensures they’ll start at the top of the Sydney Cup odds on Saturday.

The next three over the line in the Chairman’s Handicap last weekend are also all backing up in the Sydney Cup field.

Runner-up Tremec will again be ridden by Christian Reith on 54kg, the John Thompson-trained Zabeel gelding having also run a credible third in the NE Manion Cup.

Third placed Hippopus is another going up to the 3200m for the first time and is a stable mate of the favourite The Offer, Jim Cassidy to ride the High Chaparral four-year-old who is down half a kilo from 54.5kg.

It is Chairman’s fourth placegetter Sertorius however that looks one of the most likely to challenge The Offer over the two miles here.

Jamie Edwards’ Galileo six-year-old comes into the race off a number of good runs having finished fifth and fourth respectively behind Silent Achiever in the Ranvet and The BMW at Rosehill over the past month.

Their fourth in the Chairman’s last Saturday was an eye-catching effort, and one they’re tipped to improve on especially if the ground is better than a Heavy (9) as they do their best racing on firmer tracks.

Last weekend Sertorius carried 59kg and their drop down to 56kg for the Cup is going to be a huge advantage.

The other best fancied in Sydney Cup betting is then the 58kg top weight Voleuse De Coeurs for Michael Moroney.

A Glen Boss mount, Boss having ridden just the one Sydney Cup winner from his bakers’ dozen of rides in the classic, Moroney’s European import had form over the distance.

Six length winner of the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m) last September, Voleuse De Coeurs came over for a shot at the Melbourne cup but could only manage to finish 10^th in their Australian debut.

They’ve come on since then running fifth in their two runs this prep behind Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente in the Australian Cup and then Silent Achiever in The BMW on April 5.

Other notable Sydney Cup acceptors this year then include Kiwi raider Who Shot Thebarman coming off a win in the Group 1 Auckland Cup (3200m) from the start of March, Peter Snowden’s Australian Derby runner-up Tupac Amaru, the Chris Waller-trained seven-year-old Brigantin last seen running sixth in The BMW, and Michael Kent’s Pins mare Epingle who won the Hobart and Launceston Cups in February.

See below for the full Sydney Cup 2014 field, jockeys and weights with barriers to be announced later this afternoon.

Make sure you’re ready to lock in the guaranteed best Sydney Cup odds and betting offers too by opening your account with Ladbrokes.com.au today!

2014 Sydney Cup Final Field

Randwick Race 7 – 3:45pm (AEST) – 19/04/2014