Mick Price’s Spring Cups hope Tarzino has received 54kg for the first leg of the double with Caulfield Cup 2016 weights announced on Wednesday.

Tarzino is after a rare VRC Derby – Caulfield Cup double in successive seasons with success in the latter this October. Photo: Steve Hart.

Racing Victoria’s Executive General Manager of Racing and chief handicapper Greg Carpenter allocated weights for all 171 entries in this year’s $3 million Group 1 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m).

The Aiden O’Brien-trained Irish gallopers Highland Reel and Order Of St George top the Caulfield Cup handicaps for the October 15 classic, while getting in on 54kg is Price’s VRC Derby winner and early favourite Tarzino.

A now four-year-old son of Tavistock, the New Zealand-bred Tarzino sits top of the all-in Caulfield Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $15 to complete the Victoria Derby – Caulfield Cup double.

It’s a rare double only completed by three past Victoria Derby winners that returned the following spring for a win in the world’s richest mile and a half handicap; Elvstroem the latest with his 2004 Caulfield Cup victory.

“Tarzino is aiming to emulate the likes of Elvstroem (2004), Manfred (1925) and Poseidon (1906) by winning the Caulfield Cup the season after taking out the Victoria Derby,” Carpenter said on Wednesday.

Tarzino also won the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) back in March before things went amiss when he went down as the beaten odds-on favourite crossing fourth to Tavago in the Group 1 ATC Derby (2400m) in April.

He returned to racing last weekend at Caulfield running eighth in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) in a run that Price knows he can improve on getting out over more metres later this campaign.

Last season then four-year-old Mongolian Khan won the Caulfield Cup carrying 55kg joining other recent champions of that age group Descarado and Southern Speed who both carried 52.5kg to victory in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

This year Tarzino is the highest-weighted four-year-old in the Caulfield Cup along with the New Zealand-trained ATC Derby winner Tavago (54kg) prepared by Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young.

Firming in early Caulfield Cup odds following the release of the official weights into equal $15 favouritism with Tarzino meanwhile is the Robert Hickmott-trained The United States.

Four-time Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams’ Galileo stallion was last seen running second in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in Sydney on April 9.

The now seven-year-old runs first-up on Saturday at Moonee Valley Racecourse in the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) taking on Darren Weir’s Japanese import Tosen Stardom.

The United States is allocated 55.5kg in the Caulfield Cup weights.

Tavago, at $17 in the latest Caulfield Cup all-in markets, also runs first-up in the Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes on Saturday.

His form heading into the Caulfield Cup is promising based off that of fellow Kiwi Mongolian Khan last season according to Carpenter.

“Tavago looks to retrace the path Mongolian Khan took in 2015 by winning the ATC Derby-Caulfield Cup double,” he said.

Back your favourites this weekend and access the best Caulfield Cup 2016 betting odds online now at Ladbrokes.com.au.